


The Girl Who Can Change Everything

by miaisconfused



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:53:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 119,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26982439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miaisconfused/pseuds/miaisconfused
Summary: A story will never have one final end,When fate can be this easy to bend.There is a girl that shall be known for her bewitching.The name is Maya FrancesThe Girl Who Can Change Everything.-She received a letter from two schools: Ilvermorny and Hogwarts.She's from America, so the decision should be easy, right?That's What Maya thought until she received news of a prophecy with her name in it.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s), George Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is a story I've had since I was about 14, and now that I'm 18 I finally decided to write it out. I hope everyone enjoys!

A story will never have one final end,

When fate can be this easy to bend.

There is a girl that shall be known for her bewitching.

The name is Maya Frances

The Girl Who Can Change Everything.

-

"Professor Dumbledore, I have to admit, I am a bit worried about having both of these students come to Hogwarts this year," Professor McGonagall explained as she paced in Dumbledore's office for what seemed to be the hundredth time this week.

"I understand the concern, 'The Boy Who Lived' arriving the same year as 'The Girl Who Changes Everything'. I can only imagine the trouble the two will cause, but it is crucial she comes to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, reassuring McGonagall like he has every day this week.

"It's not the trouble I am concerned about, the Weasley's cause enough of that, I'm worried about the children's wellbeing," McGonagall pointed out as she finally grabbed a seat and sat down. "There will no doubt be stress for both of them. Entering a world they never knew existed, then being immediately labelled, not having a choice in their fate. Albus, that's a lot for a child."

"Ah..fate. Fate is a funny thing, the choices we make is what leads to our fate. However, in this case it is different. Every choice Mr. Potter makes will lead Miss Frances to her fate, and every choice she makes will create a new story for Mr. Potter. Whether it is happy one or a sad one, I cannot tell, but we must have trust."

"But sir, they are only children! This just seems-"

"Please write the letter to Miss Frances, informing her of why she is needed at Hogwarts and I'll send more owls to the Dursley house. The two must come to Hogwarts and a new era must begin," Dumbledore finished the argument. He was aware of the risks, and understood Professor McGonagall's concern, but he knew what had to be done.

A story must be made.

-

Maya Frances was a peculiar young girl. She was a small girl, short for her age, with bright wavy blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and her most noticeable feature--her bright pink glasses. When Maya liked something, she didn't just like it, she  _ loved  _ it; and Maya  _ loved  _ to read. Despite being the young age of only 11, Maya read everything and anything.

"Maya! You have mail again!" Her brother yelled from downstairs.

Putting down her book, Maya ran down her stairs. She patted her dog named Bear on the head, and ran to the kitchen where her entire family was standing. Her older brothers all sat at the table, one with a letter in his hand, while her parents stood at the head of the table.

"Which school is it this time?" Maya asked as she sat down next to her brother with the letter.

Maya is the youngest child of triplet brothers, so naturally she never knew a quiet home. She didn’t have a favorite brother, but she did have a different relationship with each of them. The one holding the letter was Luke. Luke was the one who played with her the most when she was younger, so they have always taken comfort in each other.

"The British one," Luke answered.

"Maya, we want you to really consider your choice. We are all overwhelmed with this new news of you being a...well a witch, and we understand you don't enjoy being far from home, but this school seems to really want you there," Maya's mother, Jen, spoke with concern and patience in her voice.

"But if I go far, I won't see you! Or Bear! I love England, but I can't go if no one else is there!" Maya yelled fearfully.

"Sweetie, do you know what a prophecy is?" Jen asked.

"Yeah, I've read about some of them while learning about Greek Mythology at school. They predict the future, right?"

"That's right. Well as it seems, the school of...what is it? Pigwarts? Hoghead? Gah, whatever, this British school wrote a second letter explaining a prophecy with your name in it. They claim it is important for you, and for the safety of the...er...'Wizarding World' that you attend school in England," Her mother explained as best as she could.

"Well that stinks for them! I don't want to go! I can't just get up and leave Lucy! She's my best friend! She told me yesterday she got a letter from Ilvermorny too and we have to go together, Mommy!" Maya protests.

Lucy and Maya had a friendship that people would wish upon a star for. They have been best friends since they were only six, and they never left each other's side,  _ ever _ . When they found out they both were witches, they have never been more excited. The two were confused when Maya had received a letter from two schools, but being 11 they just assumed they would go to the same school anyways.

"Well...you could always just sneak Lucy in your suitcase, no one will suspect a thing!" Maya's other brother Logan joked. Maya smiled and chuckled at that, her brother relieved she was able to laugh.

"Maya, the Professor in the letter said they're willing to make any exception as long as you agree to come," Her mother said.

At that, Maya pondered. She has always been fascinated with England and she knew that when she was older she wanted to live there, but she would never go without Lucy. However, not she might not have to. If the school is willing to do anything as long as she agrees to go, well then that means they have to let Lucy go.

"If they need me so badly, then I'll go on one condition. If I go, Lucy goes. That's final." After that Maya marched back upstairs, leaving her family alone in shock.

Her father chuckled, "Well that wasn't so bad now was it!"

The mother sighed and started to write a response to Hogwarts about her daughter's wishes. By the end of the week it was final, Lucy Higgins and Maya Frances were going to Hogwarts.

-

“We have now arrived in London, thank you for your patience and we hope you have a nice trip!” The pilot announced after the plane landed.

Barely able to contain their excitement, Lucy and Maya leaped up from their seats and stretching. At the beginning of the flight, the two girls begged both their parents to let them sit together and after many minutes of nonstop and irritating begging, they said yes. The flight from New York to London was 7 hours, but because the girls were too excited, they stayed up the entire trip.

As they left the plane and finished getting their passport stamps, Maya’s mom was the first to speak. 

“Okay here’s the plan. We get our bags from baggage claim, go to the hotel and check in, then we are all taking naps to get adjusted to the time change.”

“What?! We just arrived in a new country! We have to explore!” Maya protests, Lucy nodding.

“Normally I would agree, but we’re spending all day tomorrow shopping for school supplies, you two will need rest so you have enough energy,” Jen said laughing as the two girls rolled their eyes.

“I agree with Jen,” Lucy’s mother, Annie, spoke. “You two will be getting wands tomorrow, and I don’t think it would be smart for two overtired girls to test out a new magical item. Who knows what you could do? Might turn one of us into frogs!” This earned a giggle from the girls.

“Fine, but after we sleep we explore!” Lucy declared.

The group of six all piled into a taxi and made their way to their hotel. They all looked out the window excited about entering an entirely new country. They would point at the cool buildings, laugh at the radio when they heard the new accent, and smile when they saw people walking their dogs. There was excitement bubbling all through the cab, but underneath Maya’s excitement was worry.

Maya knew she should be excited, new country, new school, and magic! Magic was going to be so much fun. She would be able to do so much with magic and she couldn’t wait to learn all about him, but she kept remembering the prophecy her mom mentioned.

After Maya agreed on coming to Hogwarts, Jen read the prophecy out loud to her daughter. Maya didn’t get it, she was only 11 years old and already had to worry about “bending fate” and changing things.

‘How am I supposed to do that when I don’t even know any spells yet?’ She kept asking herself.

But everytime she looked at her best friend, she knew she would be ok because she at least had someone with her. Someone who would help her no matter what. So, swallowing down her anxieties, Maya pointed at buildings with her family and laughed at all the British accents.

‘I can worry later. Now is the time to have fun,’ She thought one last time t as she arrived at the hotel and closed her eyes for some well deserved sleep.

-

After everyone’s nap, they all explored London and had a great time. They went to a restaurant for dinner and because they were tourists, they of course ordered fish and chips and then chuckled when the waitress rolled her eyes at them. That was a night Maya and Lucy would remember forever, but the next day was what they were most excited for. Diagon Alley.

“LUCY! WAKE UP!” Maya yelled, shaking her bed frantically. Lucy groaned and threw her blankets over her head. Maya repeatedly shook the bed, and continued yelling until eventually her best friend got out of bed.

Another 30 minutes and a rushed breakfast later, the two families found themselves entering Diagon Alley for the first time.

Lucy and Maya had their arms linked together, to make sure none of them were dreaming. Both their mouths hung open as they stared at the world in front of them. Never had these two girls seen anything like this. Large crowds, families, running around in robes, magic all over, and laughter filling the air. At this moment the two girls knew they made the right choice.

“Oh there’s an ice cream shop! Perfect!” Lucy’s dad commented excitedly.

“We gotta try some!” Lucy agreed.

Annie sighed at her husband and daughter, “Not yet, it’s not even noon yet! Wands first!”

“Right, where did the letter say we get wands again?” Jen asked Annie.

“Ollivanders!” Lucy and Maya yelled in sync. Then ran towards the store, forcing their parents to worriedly run behind them.

-

“Welcome to Ollivanders! The start of every young witch and wizard's journey!” called Ollivander’s voice as the families entered.

A gasp left Maya’s mouth before she knew it. Wands were everywhere, stacked upon each other messily but somehow she could tell it was organized. The store seemed cluttery, but it only added character. Despite already knowing there were wands here, Maya would have been able to sense them all anyways. She couldn’t explain it, but she could  _ feel  _ the wands power inside her, calling to her.

“Wow,” Lucy muttered quietly, as if she could read Maya’s thoughts.

Ollivander chuckled, “What are your names, ladies?”

“Lucy Higgins! And this is my friend Maya Frances!” Lucy spoke for her friend knowing she was too in shock to introduce herself.

“Oh my…” Ollivander gaped. “So it's true then? The boy who lived and the girl who changes everything attending school the same year?”

Finally finding her voice again, Maya shook her head and asked, “Um...who?”

He smiled at her, “Ah I should have guessed. You two must be muggleborns, don’t worry I’m sure you will understand soon. But this is not important right now! Let’s get you two your wands!”

Lucy was brave enough, so she stepped up first. Ollivander held her hand and closed his eyes.

“Hmm…” He opened his eyes, “Let’s try this one!” He ran to the back and grabbed a box on the bottom shelf then walked back. “13 inches, unicorn hair core, and aspen wood, seems like a good fit yes.”

Lucy took the wand from his hand carefully then looked at Ollivander confused.

“Um, what am I supposed to do exactly?”

“Whatever feels right.”

Lucy furrowed her brows and raised the wand then pointed at the shelf behind Ollivander. She flicked her wrist just slightly, but enough to knock almost all the wands off the shelf.

Maya and all their parents chuckled while Lucy blushed.

“I’m so sorry!”

Ollivander chuckled, “No worries child, just means this wand wasn’t the right one.”

He walked to the back and grabbed another wand, but when Lucy tried this one she caused a painting on the wall to fall.

“Hmmm, lets try another,” Ollivander pondered as he walked to the back again. He looked for a few minutes then his eyes landed on one box and smiled. “Yes, this one should be it. A phoenix feather core, powerful like you will become. Beech wood, wise beyond your years. And 12 inches. Yes this one will be correct.”

Lucy eagerly grabbed the wand and already felt a connection. A light shined as she held this wand and her hand felt warm, connected to the wand.

“It’s this one,” Lucy smiles softly at the wand.

“Perfect! I see a great future for you and the wand!” Ollivander smiled at her while he wrapped up the wand. “Alright Miss Frances, you next!”

Maya gulped and stepped forward. Ollivander seemed to already have a plan for her and quickly grabbed a wand.

“For someone like you, I suspect a unicorn hair core for loyalty, pear wood for a warm heart, and 11 inches.”

Maya carefully took the wand and already felt confused, before she even moved her hand the wand shot out and broke a flower pot.

“I’m sorry! I don’t even know how I could have done that!” Maya yelped, Lucy snickering behind her.

Ollivander had a confused look on his face, “Well that’s alright dear, happens to everyone!” He walked to the back of the shop, confused because this  _ had  _ to have been the right wand….unless. Unless he was wrong about her intentions...no he had to trust she’d use her magic for good, but he had to try this wand. He slowly grabbed a wand from the back and walked back towards her.

“Try this one.”

Maya slowly grabbed the wand, and the light that had shined on her friend not too long ago, returned to shine on the girl of the prophecy.

“What is this wand made of?” Maya asked Ollivander curiously.

He sighed, but put on a small smile.

“Dragon heartstring, very powerful and laurel wood, 12 ¾ inches. Now Miss Frances you must understand, the dragon heartstring can be known for making a wrong choice, but the laurel wood should counteract with that. However, I want you to promise me to  _ always _ trust your instincts, okay?”

Maya’s eyes widened and gripped the wand tightly. She looked Ollivander in the eyes and spoke with clear confidence.

“I promise.”

-

“I swear to God, the titles of some of these books aren’t even real words!” Maya’s mom joked as she continued to struggle to look for another book. “Maya and Lucy, you guys go take the books we already found and start looking for your potions book, while we all search for transfiguration. Got it?”

The girls grabbed the big pile of books and nodded, starting their search. The pile of books in Maya’s hands were much larger than she assumed they would be, and she was barely able to see, but that wouldn’t stop her.

Lucy and Maya were doing just fine on their search, when all of a sudden Maya ran straight into something, or  _ someone _ , and dropped all her books. Maya felt shock as she fell to the ground and instant anger.

“Hey next time watch where you’re going!” She groaned and started to grab her books.

“Yeah George, watch where you’re going!” A boy a few feet away from her laughed.

The boy, George, let out a small laugh, “Shut it, Fred,” he started to reach for the books she dropped. “Sorry about that, let me help you.”

Maya looked at the boy and was shocked by the flaming red hair, then was even more shocked when she saw the other boy, Fred, had the exact same face. She reached for her books, frustrated.

“I don’t need help from the one who knocked me over,” she stated matter of factly. Yet he continued to help pile her books back together.

“You were holding far too many books, you were going to walk into something at some point,” George pointed out.

“Excuse me?  _ You  _ walked into  _ me _ !”

“Isn’t walking into someone a two person job?” Lucy pointed out, standing above them grabbing Maya’s hand to help her up.

“Who’s side are you on?” Maya hissed. Earning a laugh from Lucy.

George handed her her books then opened his mouth to properly introduce himself, but stopped when he made eye contact with Maya.

Fred stepped up closer to the group and laughed at his brother’s shocked state.

“I’m Fred Weasley, and when he’s not so rudely walking into people and then staring at them, this is my brother George,” Fred said and raised his hand to shake the girls hands.

Lucy took his hand and smiled, “Hello! I’m Lucy Higgins, and when she’s not blaming other people on her mistakes this is my friend, Maya Frances.” Maya stepped on her foot in response.

The twin’s eyes went wide with realization of who the blonde girl was.

“Good going George! You ran into the girl that has a big prophecy!” Fred yelled at his twin, half joking, half serious.

“You’re the one that shoved me!” George retorted.

After that the two started bickering with each other leaving Lucy and Maya to stare at each other confused.

“I uh...really don’t care that much,” Maya said awkwardly while the twins still bickered.

“There you two are! Stop sneaking off like that!” A voice yelled, causing the twins to go silent.

A woman with red hair, matching the boys, and a round body walked from the end of the aisle to where the group was standing. “I’m so sorry, I hope my children weren’t bothering you, they tend to do that.”

“We weren’t bothering them, just being friendly,” Fred said quickly.

“Well-” Maya started but got cut off.

George put his arm around her shoulder and covered her mouth, “These two are American, figured they would need help looking for supplies!”

The woman raised an eyebrow as she stared at her sons. Obviously this was a lie, but it was obvious the girls needed help by seeing all the books they had.

She smiled warmly at the girls, “Hello, I’m Molly Weasley. I’m sure my sons are lying, but I would gladly help you two if you would like.”

Lucy jumped at the opportunity, fed up with their parents spending many confused hours in the bookstore. “Please! We’ve been here for two hours!”

Molly laughed and told them to take her to their parents, then told the twins to meet up with their father and the rest of the family, and said they would all meet outside the store in 20 minutes.

-

Once Molly helped the families out, they realized they had more books than was needed and left in exactly 20 minutes meeting everyone outside as Molly said they would.

Everyone introduced themselves, the twins bragged about meeting them first, Maya then told the truth exposing them and making the story less cool. They met Ron, Ginny, Percy, and Arthur, and were overwhelmed by all the red hair, but liked the family anyways.

Lucy suggested they all get ice cream together and took a break from shopping, which everyone agreed would be a good idea. Jen and Annie suggested they pay for ice cream after Molly’s help and despite her protests, she finally gave in.

Everyone was sitting at a large table outside, while the Weasley’s explained everything about the wizarding world. The twins went on and on about how cool Hogwarts was and all their late night adventures, resulting in Molly yelling at them.

“So have you guys heard about the four houses yet?” Fred asked.

“The what?” Lucy asked.

“All the students get sorted into four different houses, which ends up being your family at school. You share dorms with them, classes, and eat with them,” George answered.

Fred quickly added, “And destroy each other in quidditch.”

“That’s not a word, you made that up,” Maya said, tone completely serious.

“He didn’t make that up, but you guys can talk about quidditch later, you should know about houses first,” Molly suggested.

George excitedly spoke, “The first house, and obviously the best house is Gryffindor. That’s where we all were sorted. Gryffindor is the house that values bravery and all the other good stuff.”

“Sounds lame,” Maya responded and Lucy laughed. Their parents sighing at their children.

“No house we’re in can be lame, not possible,” Fred protested. “Another house is Hufflepuff, they’re all about kindness and loyalty, but definitely befriend one of them because they’re closest to the kitchens.”

“Fred!” Molly yelled.

“What? It’s important! Another house is Ravenclaw, they’re super smart, like reading a lot, studying, solving riddles. To be honest seems kind of nerdy,” Fred joked making Ron and George laugh.

“It’s not nerdy to read, you’re probably just embarrassed you weren’t smart enough to get in,” Lucy smirked, making Fred go silent, and slightly blush.

“Lucy!” Her mom sputtered.

“What?” Lucy laughed.

“What’s the fourth house?” Maya asked.

George frowned, “Slytherin, nasty ones they are. We call them the evil house because everyone that gets sorted into Slytherin comes out evil. They’re also the best house to prank.”

“Now that’s not true, don’t frighten them!” Molly cried. “Slytherin’s value ambition and are very hardworking, you’d be just as successful in that house as you would the others.”

Maya trusted her words, but she could tell Molly didn’t fully mean it. However, she liked the sound of Slytherin, maybe it was because she liked to tease the twins, but she also remembered the promise she made to Ollivander about going with her instinct.

“Well if all of them have come out evil, maybe I could change that,” Maya thought out loud. “Besides, it’s cooler to be evil than to be brave all the time. Like I said before, lame.” Maya teased taking a bite of her ice cream.

George’s mouth hung open, “It’s not lame to have  _ morals _ !”

“Says the one who ran into me and knocked the books out of my hand.”

“I was shoved by my brother and I apologized!”

Lucy, laughing as her friend fought with the boy, spoke up. “She’s not wrong though, if anyone were to come out of Slytherin not evil, it would be Maya. But even if she did, it is cooler to be evil, that’s just a fact.”

“And it’s a fact that if you read, you’re a nerd.” Fred said, finding his voice again.

All the adults at the table smiled and laughed as they watched their kids argue. These four would be a trouble making group, but would no doubt have an interesting friendship.

-

“Thank you again, Molly for your help. I reckon we would still be in the bookshop now if it wasn’t for you,” Jen said as they were getting ready to leave Diagon Alley.

“Don’t mention it! We’ll meet you all at King’s Cross Station tomorrow before the train,” Molly smiled.

The kids all walked with the adults, Lucy, Maya, and the twins walking behind everyone else.

“Gryffindor has a better Quidditch team!” Fred yelled

“I still don’t believe that’s a real word,” Maya laughed.

“Our colors are cooler!” George protested.

“Your colors are obnoxious,” Lucy counteracted.

“You two are ridiculous,” Fred said, even though he was smiling.

“Bloody Americans, don’t have a proper education they can’t even form the right opinion!” George said, agreeing with his brother.

“That’s not fair, don’t bring our country into this, we know it’s bad!” Lucy complained.

The four laughed at that.

“Sit with us on the train tomorrow, we can explain quidditch to you two on the way there. And we could convince you guys that Gryffindor is superior,” suggested Fred.

“Won’t work, but sure,” Lucy agreed excitedly.

Maya smiled, “I’d rather sit with a rat, but I can’t leave Lucy with your torture, so I guess I’ll sit with you.”

George smirked, “Awe see that Freddie! She likes us!”

They reached the exit, soon about to part ways until the next day. Everyone said their goodbyes and started to leave, but as Maya was turning to leave someone grabbed her wrist.

She turned to see and saw George standing there.

“I am sorry about knocking you over by the way. And uh...well if you did get sorted into Slytherin...well I think you would turn out alright,” George mused awkwardly.

“Um, thank you?” Maya responded confused, but smiled softly at his awkwardness.

“See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“Later, Frances.”

“Later, Weasley.”


	2. Chapter 2: First Year-Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maya and Lucy meet Harry Potter, they get sorted, and Maya learns that being a muggle born isn't going to be easy.
> 
> “I’ll see you around, Harry,” Maya smiled at him and held out her hand to shake it. Harry shook her hand, but the second he grabbed her hand, images flooded her mind.   
> She saw Harry on a broom, she saw him talking to a blonde boy, Harry in front of a mirror, and finally...possibly the most terrifying image of all. She saw Harry struggling to win a fight with something she couldn’t quite see. It was blurry, but it looked like a squished creepy face.  
> “See you around then.” And Harry released her hand, not seeing any of the images that she was struck with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So the original plan was to make each chapter a new year at Hogwarts, however I ended up writing a lot more than expected, so I split it up. Enjoy this chapter!

Both families set multiple alarms so they wouldn’t be late for the train that morning, yet somehow they still slept through it. They were about 20 minutes behind schedule and rushing around the hotel room. Maya throwing everything she could see in her trunk, and Lucy struggling to find her missing sock while also brushing her teeth. Their parents were frantically rushing to check out of the hotel.

“Lucy, your sock is under the bed!” Lucy’s mother yelled from across the room.

“Maya! Don’t forget your glasses!” Maya’s mom reminded her.

About ten minutes later, they left and arrived at King’s Cross Station at exactly 10:30.

-

“An entire family with red hair, yet we still can’t find them!” Maya’s dad grumbled.

“Over here!” A voice echoed across the station.

Everyone sprinted over to the Weasley’s, filled with relief at finding their only source of help. They all greeted each other with hugs and smiles.

“Now, what’s the platform number?” Mrs. Weasley asked, making sure everyone knew.

The girl, Ginny as Maya remembered, answered for everyone. “Mum, can’t I go?” She pleaded.

Molly huffed, “You’re not old enough Ginny. Now, Maya and Lucy,” she bent down to their size, “watch as Percy goes through the barrier, okay?”

“Barrier? What ba-” Lucy asked, but was interrupted by Percy running straight towards a wall.

“What’s he doing? He’s going to go straight into the wall!” Maya yelped fearfully. When Percy disappeared through the barrier, her eyes were open wide with shock. “What the he-”

“You girls think you’re ready?” Molly politely asked.

“Uh...no?” Lucy admitted.

“Alright then no rush. Fred, you next!” She motioned towards Fred.

“I’m not Fred, I’m George! Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can’t you  _ tell _ I’m George!”

“Sorry, George, dear.”

“Only joking, I am Fred!” Then Fred ran to the barrier, George following after him.

Molly rolled her eyes and frowned. “Those boys will be the death of me, I swear!” Then she smiled sweetly at Maya and Lucy again. “Let’s give it a try? Your parents will be right behind you!”

Lucy nudged Maya forward and whispered, “Go ahead, you can go first.”

Maya sighed, “Gee thanks.” 

Both her parents grabbed her shoulder and ran towards the barrier. As they ran, Maya kept her eyes shut tightly and braced herself for the crash that was bound to come. When she didn’t crash into anything she felt a mix of shock and relief. About ten seconds later, Lucy and her family came in.

“Congrats! You did it!” Fred said popping out of nowhere, then leaning his arm on Lucy like an arm rest.

Lucy shoved his arm off. “Why run into a wall? Why couldn’t it be something like, I don’t know, a secret door?”

“Well what’s the fun in that?” He replied.

“I reckon we should board the train soon,” George suggested.

Maya’s mom smiled at the boys. “Thank you for helping our daughters out, but could you give us a few minutes to say our goodbyes?”

The twins nodded and gave the families their space.

Lucy went to her family to say her goodbyes and Maya did the same.

“We’re proud of you for making this brave decision, Maya,” her mom started, “even if that means you’ll be really far from home.” Tears started to fill in both their eyes.

Maya instantly threw her arms around her parents, refusing to let them see her sad. “I’ll make you both proud, I promise.”

“Don’t hang around those boys too much. I don’t think me or your brothers will appreciate you having a boyfriend.” Her dad said jokingly, but also slightly serious.

Maya made a face, cringing at the thought. “Blech! No way!”

Her mom laughed, “You say that now, but just you wait! I suspect something is blossoming between you and that George one!”

“Alright alright that’s enough of this! I’ll see you guys later! Love you!” Maya laughed and gave one last hug before turning to Lucy.

Lucy and Maya smiled at each other, held each other’s hands, and walked to the twins to go on the train as they started their new journey.

-

As they got on the train, the twins went on and on about how they met “The famous Harry Potter”.

“You two do realise we have no idea who this kid is right?” Lucy asked.

“He’s the boy who lived! The only one to ever survive the killing curse!” Fred beamed.

“And he was a baby too!” George reminded them for the millionth time. “Don’t worry though, Frances, you’re still cool too.” He said and nudged her.

“Wow I feel so special, thank you.” Maya rolled her eyes and kept walking.

“We’re gonna go meet up with our friend Lee Jordan, but we gotta check on Ron first, promised mum.” Fred said. The group agreed to visit Ron, then they’ll introduce the two girls to Lee.

“Hey, Ron.” Fred said as they entered his compartment.

Maya looked passed Ron and saw he wasn’t alone. There was a small, scrawny boy, with dark messy hair, and round glasses that were slightly broken. He had these bright green eyes that took her by surprise. He looked familiar to her, she wanted to be able to place his face somewhere, but her train of thought was interrupted by Fred’s voice.

“--Lee Jordan’s got a giant tarantula down there.”

Instant fear flooded through Maya. “Whoa whoa whoa, hold on. You didn’t say anything about spiders!”

“Come on don’t tell me you’re scared of them too!” George joked.

“There’s nothing wrong with being afraid of beasts with eight legs!”

“A  _ beast _ ? They’re tiny!” George laughed at her exaggeration.

Fred broke their argument, “Frances, you shouldn’t have told us you’re afraid of spiders, but that’s not important right now.”

Maya realised what she did, and her eyes grew wide. “Wait-”

“Like I said, not important. Anyways, we haven’t introduced ourselves to Harry Potter yet.” He turned to Harry, “Fred and George Weasley, and I see you’ve met Ronald.” Fred then turned to Maya and Lucy and introduced them. “These two are Lucy Higgins and Maya Frances….Suppose you and Frances might get along.”

“Er...why?” Harry spoke for the first time.

Ron spoke before Fred got a chance. “Well you two both are a bit famous in the Wizarding World.”

“You-know-who killed your parents too?” Harry asked with wide eyes.

Maya shuffled awkwardly. “Um...well no. I don’t actually know how this prophecy thing started, I didn’t even know I was a witch until a few weeks ago.”

“Well we gotta get going, gotta meet Lee and his spider.” Fred said eager to leave.

“Right...the spider,” Lucy grumbled.

“I’ll see you around, Harry,” Maya smiled at him and held out her hand to shake it. Harry shook her hand, but the second he grabbed her hand, images flooded her mind. 

She saw Harry on a broom, she saw him talking to a blonde boy, Harry in front of a mirror, and finally...possibly the most terrifying image of all. She saw Harry struggling to win a fight with something she couldn’t quite see. It was blurry, but it looked like a squished creepy face.

“See you around then.” And Harry released her hand, not seeing any of the images that she was struck with.

They made their way out of the compartment, George dragging her along as she continued to be in shock. No one seemed to notice the fear, until Lucy said something.

“You alright, Maya?” She asked, concerned as if just seeing the shock all over her best friend’s face.

As quickly as the shock came, it disappeared, instead replaced with a fake smile. “Great! Just a little worried about the spider is all!”

Lucy nodded, not fully believing her, but would ask her later in private.

“Lee!” Fred yelled once he spotted his friend.

“Fred! George!” Lee Jordan jumped excitedly.

“You’ll never guess who we met!” George beamed. He pulled Maya’s arm that he was still holding and introduced her. “It’s Maya Frances! You know the one from the prophecies and stuff!”

Maya waved awkwardly, trying to step back towards Lucy.

“And this is her friend, Lucy.” Fred pointed towards Lucy. “In my opinion she’s much cooler.” Fred commented, earning himself a nudge in the ribs from Maya. “But we also met Harry Potter! Somehow he’s taken an interest in Ron. We can only hope he won’t bore him to death.”

Lee and George laughed at that then the group sat down. It was a bit tight, the 3 guys sat on one side of the compartment, letting the girls have their own side.

“So where is he?” George asked Lee.

Lee instantly grabbed the box next to him and opened it, revealing a giant hairy tarantula.

Both Maya and Lucy jumped back in fear, grabbing each other’s arms.

“Why would you want to own something as disgusting as that!” Lucy screamed.

Insulted, Lee covered the box with his arms, as if to protect the spider from her harsh words. “He’s not disgusting! He’s majestic!”

“Majestic? That thing is a monster!” Maya argued.

“Where did you even get him? They don’t sell those in Diagon Alley, I suppose?” George asked.

“Caught him myself this summer, didn’t give him a name yet.” Lee answered proudly.

The boys discussed several different names as they took turns holding the spider. Maya was going to throw up if she continued to watch, so she looked out the window instead.

While the boys were distracted, Lucy decided now was a good time to ask Maya what had bothered her before.

“Hey, are you alright?” She asked her.

Maya looked back at her friend. “Yeah, why?”

“Well...earlier you seemed a bit...I don’t know, distracted? Scared?”

Maya sighed and looked at her hands, scared to look her friend in the eye as she answered her.

‘What if she thinks I’m crazy?’ She thought to herself.

“When I first saw Harry, he looked familiar to me and I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t recognize him till a bit later, but eventually I did. Somehow, before knowing I was a witch, I managed to have dreams about him without ever meeting him. They weren’t fully detailed dreams, just glimpses of him.” Maya finally had the courage to look Lucy in the eye, there was no judgement there, just concern. Swallowing down her fear, Maya continued. “When we shook hands, it happened again, except somehow I think it was different. When I would dream about him, I felt like it was him  _ currently _ doing something, but these felt like glimpses of his future. And Lucy...Lucy the things I saw weren’t good.”

Suddenly afraid, Lucy grabbed her friend’s hand. “What do you mean?”

“Well at first it was fine, normal things like conversations, him flying on a broom, but then I saw him fighting with this weird creepy face. I couldn’t fully make out the image, but it didn’t look good.”

“You have to tell someone! The headmaster, you can talk to him!” Lucy yelled, forgetting to keep her voice down.

This got the boys attention and they looked at the two with concern.

Lee leaned in, “You two planning on snitching about my spider? There aren’t any rules saying  _ not _ to bring one, I’ll have you know. The owl, cat, and toad thing is just a  _ suggestion _ .”

“What? No, I don’t care about your creepy eight-legged creature, Maya was just explaining how--mph!” Maya covered Lucy’s mouth with her hands.

“We won’t snitch on your spider as long as you keep that thing away from us,” Maya said, tone serious, and ignoring Lucy’s comment.

“Deal!” Lee agreed, relieved.

“Wait! No, we wanted to scare them!” Fred whined.

“Yeah! You’re ruining the fun!” George nodded.

“We can still scare Ron!” Lee pointed out.

Once they were distracted again, Maya removed her hand from Lucy’s mouth slowly.

“Look, I don’t fully understand what’s going on yet, so I don’t want to tell anyone right away. I also  _ definitely  _ don’t want the twins or any other Weasley to find out because they can tell their mom who will then tell my mom. Just trust me, okay?” Maya whispered.

Lucy sighed, “Fine, but promise me that if you start to see more dangerous things you’ll tell someone.”

“I promise,” Maya smiled softly.

The rest of the train ride was fine. The spider only escaped to the girls side once, and no harm was done towards the spider or the boys. The boys explained more about quidditch, as promised, and the group of five joked and laughed the whole way to school.

-

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here!” Yelled a strange voice outside the train.

“That’s Hagrid,” George said, seeing the girls confused faces. “He’s half giant. Super nice, don’t be too scared.”

“This is where we part, but we’ll meet up with you guys later. Preferably at the Gryffindor table.” Fred teased and winked. 

The group parted ways, leaving the two girls to line up by Hagrid.

Maya and Lucy found Ron and decided to stand near him and Harry, glad to be around familiar faces.

Hagrid was saying something, but Maya wasn’t listening, she was too nervous. She started to regret teasing the twins yesterday about being a Slytherin and how it's ‘cooler to be evil’. Now that she’s here and after the visions she saw, it suddenly doesn’t seem as cool. Yet, despite her fears, she can’t ignore the gut feeling of being put in Slytherin, something about that house seems fitting to her. She thought of her promise to Ollivander and remembered to always trust her instincts.

Maya must have been zoned out longer than she thought because all of a sudden there were boats and a great black lake. She looked even further and saw the castle and gasped.

“Wow,” Lucy muttered, taking the words out of Maya’s mouth.

“No more’n four to a boat!” Hagrid called.

Harry and Ron got on a boat with two kids that neither Lucy nor Maya recognized, so the two were left to go on a boat with strangers.

Lucy and Maya got on a boat with two other girls who looked both a mix of nervous and excited. The first minute on the boat was awkward, but eventually one girl introduced herself to break the tension.

“Hi! I’m Susan Bones!” She exclaimed, with a smile on her face.

Lucy, grateful someone else took the lead, smiled and introduced herself. “I’m Lucy Higgins, nice to meet you!”

Maya nervously smiled then introduced herself as well, “Uh hi, I’m Maya Frances.”

The fourth girl let out a gasp, “So it’s true then? You and Potter are both here?”

Maya assumed she would be asked this a lot as she nodded to answer the girls question.

“I’m Daphne Greengrass, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Already heard Potter is an arse, but we can have hope for you,” She chuckled, a smirk on her face.

“He wasn’t that bad when I met him…” Maya mused.

“I’ve only heard what Malfoy said, although, he doesn’t exactly seem to be the most honest person here,” Daphne said, explaining herself.

“Who’s Malfoy?” Lucy asked.

Daphne made a face, “Take it this way. If you choose to be friends with Potter, don’t expect to be buddies with Malfoy. He spent almost the whole train ride practically crying because the famous Potter rejected him. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

All the girls giggled.

“So what are your blood statuses?” Daphne asked suddenly.

“Uh...our what?” Lucy asked.

“You know, pureblood, half-blood?”

“I’m a half-blood, but blood status doesn’t matter,” Susan answered, glaring at Daphne.

Daphne gasped, “Well of course it matters! At least to my mom it does…”

Maya answered for both her and Lucy.

“Lucy and I are the first in our families to be witches. We were planning on going to the American school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but then we found out about my prophecy and went here instead.”

“So you mean to tell me that ‘The Girl Who Can Change Everything’ is a muggle born?” Daphne sputtered.

“Yeah I guess so?” Maya responded, not fully understanding Daphne’s fear. The Weasley’s had explained to them earlier what muggle meant, but maybe to Daphne it was something else?

Daphne looked confused. She wanted to keep talking to the girls, they seemed friendly, but she knew if her family found out she would never hear the end of it. She looked behind her, at Malfoy and the other purebloods she knew. She decided she needed to respect her family's wishes and responded to Maya with a one word answer.

“Oh.”

And the rest of the boat ride was quiet.

-

When the doors opened, Maya was once again taken by surprise with how big the castle was. They were greeted by a stern looking witch called Professor McGonagall. Maya could tell immediately she was powerful. She led them through the school and into a small empty chamber. As all the first years crowded in, Mcgonagall began to speak.

“Welcome to Hogwarts…” She then began to explain how each of them should be sorted before being seated in the Great Hall.

As she listed each house, Maya was once again worried about how comfortable she felt with Slytherin. Susan Bones explained about how great it would be to be a Hufflepuff, and Maya started to like the idea of being with Susan in Hufflepuff. 

Professor McGonagall excused herself and said she would return shortly once the ceremony is ready to proceed.

“How exactly do they sort us into Houses?” Maya heard Harry ask Ron.

“Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking,” Ron responded.

Lucy, who also heard the conversation, made eye contact with Maya. Both girls were scared.

Then Maya chuckled and whispered to her friend, “Fred was probably trying to scare his brother is all…” She tried to calm her friend down, but there was no denying the fear in her voice.

Suddenly there was a loud crash and chaos had flooded the tiny chamber. Multiple ghosts came running through, causing many of the children to scream.

“No way!” Maya and Lucy yelled at the same time.

“Ghosts!” Maya laughed excitedly at them.

The ghosts, one specifically, seemed interested in the first years.

“Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old House, you know” He bellowed proudly.

All of a sudden Professor McGonagall’s voice echoed through the chamber.

“Move along now! The Sorting Ceremony is about to start!”

As the ghosts left, the students started to form a line.

When they entered the Great Hall, all the first years let out a collective gasp. It was nothing like Maya and Lucy had ever seen. There were four tables, one for each house, floating candles, and ghosts flying all around.

“Maya! Look up!” Lucy urged, pointing towards the ceiling.

Maya did as told and saw that the ceiling wasn’t a ceiling at all, but the night sky.

“How-” She began to ask.

A girl answered for her, “It’s bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in  _ Hogwarts: A History _ .”

Maya smiled at her, “Wow! That’s really amazing! I’m Maya Frances.”

The girl shook her hand, “Hermione Granger, are you American?” She asked curiously.

Maya was about to answer, but was interrupted by a voice ahead of them. She looked to see where the voice was coming from, and what she saw was not anything she expected. It was a hat, and it wasn’t talking, it was  _ singing _ ! She giggled at the thought of a magic hat singing.

‘All I have to do is wear a hat? Easy!’ She thought to herself, relieved that Fred was only joking.

After the Hat’s song, Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbott, Hannah!”

A girl with blonde hair stepped out of line and walked towards the hat. She put it on and just one second later it yelled, “HUFFLEPUFF!”

The Hufflepuff table cheered as she walked towards them.

Next was Susan Bones, the hat once again announced Hufflepuff and Susan’s smile was full of pride. Maya and Lucy clapped for her.

Maya and Lucy watched in amazement as each student got sorted. There were a few more Hufflepuffs, some Ravenclaw, and so far only one Slytherin and Gryffindor. After Millicent Bulstrode was sorted, McGonagall called the next name.

“Higgins, Lucy!”

Lucy’s eyes widened with fear, she squeezed Maya’s hand and stepped forward.

Maya whispered good luck to her before she left, but wasn’t sure if she heard or not.

Lucy awkwardly stepped up to the stool and sat down as the hat was placed on her head. The interesting part about the hat was how some students took only a few seconds to be sorted, while others could take a few minutes. Lucy’s took about two minutes until the hat made a confident decision.

“RAVENCLAW!” The hat bellowed.

Lucy smiled as the Ravenclaw table cheered for her. Maya cheered along for her friend, glad she found a good fit.

A few more people went, the girl Hermione went to Gryffindor. Then it was Malfoy’s turn.

Maya immediately recognized him from one of the visions she saw when shaking Harry’s hand. He seemed like a jerk just by the way he was walking to the hat. Maya rolled her eyes at him, but when the hat yelled out that he’ll be sorted into Slytherin, her confidence was gone.

“Oh crap.” She mumbled to herself, she really didn’t want to deal with someone like him if she got sorted there.

Professor McGonagall called, “Frances, Maya!”

“Oh crap.” She mumbled to herself again.

She slowly stepped forward and made her way to the hat. As she sat down she looked for familiar faces to keep her nerves down. She looked at the Ravenclaw table and Lucy smiled at her. She then looked at the Gryffindor table and saw the twins and Hermione. George, at least she assumed it was George, gave her a thumbs up for good luck, which only seemed to make her more nervous.

‘Oh god...if I’m in Slytherin will they still want to be my friend?’ She thought to herself worriedly.

“Nonsense!” a voice yelled in her ear. “Friendship’s of different houses are more cherished than the ones in your own House,” The hat said reading her thoughts.

“Now where to put you? I see confidence in you, that’s important. I can see the loyalty underneath everything. An important trait for a Hufflepuff...hmmm but very little patience perhaps not. I see a temper in you, a wild one, but can be controlled with lots of difficulty. Hmm...hardworking, yes. Very ambitious, yes. Cunning, ah that will be important. Your future shall be a story to be remembered. Better be--SLYTHERIN!”

Dread filled Maya’s entire body, she knew this would happen, but still she wanted to ask the hat to try again.

She slowly got up and walked to the Slytherin table. She looked at Lucy who clapped for her, and looked at the Gryffindor table and saw the disappointed smile in the twins faces.

‘Great, already lost all my friends.’ She thought.

As she sat at the Slytherin table, everyone stared at her. She recognized Daphne and considered waving, but remembered how awkward it was after she admitted to being a muggle born. She heard people whispering around the table, all the same things.

“A muggle born in Slytherin? It’s got to be a mistake!”

“She’s The Girl Who Can Change Everything maybe it’ll be good!”

Maya looked up from her seat and found Malfoy glaring at her with two other kids sitting next to him. Maya may have no friends here, but she was put here for a reason. She decided then that she won’t put up with anyone who judges her, so she glared back at Malfoy. He looked away shocked, and she smirked.

After Dumbledore spoke, the tables filled with food. Maya ate alone, not talking to anyone, but remained confident.

-

After they ate, Dumbledore gave a beginning of the year speech. He spoke about the forbidden forest being off limits, then looked directly at Fred and George. Reminded everyone not to use magic in the corridors. Then made a clear statement not to go on the third floor unless you “wish to die a painful death”. 

When he said that everyone looked at each other confused, unsure if he was serious or not. Finally, the headmaster wanted to end his speech with everyone singing the school song.

Instead of participating, Maya just watched as each student chose a different tune and all ended at different times. The last two singing were the twins, their tune a slow funeral march. They were off key, but kept going with complete confidence. Maya laughed at them, the only Slytherin laughing at the table. Everyone else thought it to be obnoxious, but she didn’t care.

After the song, the Slytherin’s followed their Prefect to the common room which was in the dungeons. Maya questioned the safety of the location of the common room, but went anyway. As they walked in, the room looked oddly cozy.

The style of the room had a distinct type of comfort that wouldn’t comfort everyone, but had a distinct style for specific people. Maya decided after walking around that she liked it. She especially liked the armchair by the fireplace, she thought it would be a good spot to read.

The first years were led to their dormitory, with the people they would share a room with. Maya shared a room with 4 other girls who looked at her with either disgust or confusion. 

One of the girls was Daphne. Daphne didn’t seem disgusted or confused, she almost looked sympathetic. Like she wanted to talk to Maya, but something had stopped her. Maya had chosen to just ignore her.

She later found out the other girls were Pansy Parkinson, Tracy Davis, and Millicent Bullstrode, all purebloods or half-bloods.

Maya was getting sick and tired of Pansy’s sneers and glares, so instead of trying to sleep, she went back down to the common room to sit. She watched the fire, her eyes feeling heavy after a long day. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been staring into the fire, but she was half asleep when she heard a light knock on the common room door.

Confused, she waited a few more seconds to see if the knock would repeat itself, and sure enough it did. Maya made her way to the door, wand tightly gripped in her hand even though she didn’t know any spells yet, then opened the door.

“Hi!” Lucy jumped excitedly.

Maya let out a sigh of relief as she saw Lucy and hugged her.

“I thought you were some murderer or something!” She breathed out.

Lucy laughed at her, “Not a murderer, but I did come with people who could be.”

Maya hadn’t even realised the twins were standing there, too distracted hugging Lucy. Suddenly though, she felt awkward. She wasn’t sure if the twins would still want to be her friend after the sorting ceremony, she assumed they would just ignore her and spend time with Harry Potter instead.

However, whatever she thought they would do, she was wrong. George dragged her out of the common room and into the hallway with a smile on his face.

“Figured you two should get a tour before classes tomorrow!” He suggested excitedly.

“It’s past curfew?” Maya said, confused. “Won’t we get in trouble?”

Fred laughed, “How cute! She thinks we would get in trouble! Frances, you only get in trouble if you get caught.”

“And lucky for you…” George started

“We don’t get caught,” Both twins said in unison.

Maya and Lucy looked at each other, having a silent conversation debating on if they should listen to the boys or not. After thirty seconds they both shrugged and realised they didn’t actually have a choice.

“Okay, why not,” Lucy pretended to sound uninterested.

Fred grabbed Lucy’s hand and started to lead the way.

They walked around the entire castle, they almost got caught a few times, but managed to escape. 

The castle alone at night was different than earlier in the evening when it had been crowded. The quiet was peaceful, even if they were running away from professors.

The last stop on the tour was the astronomy tower. The group stood on top, out of breath from the stairs. All four of them walked to the ledge and stared at the night sky. Maya smiled as she felt the cool summer night’s breeze. For the first time that day, she felt like she was at home.

“So, Frances, how’s Slytherin going?” Fred asked, the first one to break the silence.

Maya frowned, “It sucks. No one will shut up about me being a muggle born.”

George tensed next to her.

“They haven’t said anything bad have they? Because if they do I swear, Fred and I will-”

Maya laughed at his concern.

“No they haven’t said anything bad. Just keep whispering why a muggle born was let into Slytherin. No one has even bothered talking to me yet. Can’t really tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Well if anyone makes any nasty comments, let us know,” Fred said seriously, “You too,” he nudged at Lucy.

Both girls smiled at them as a silent thank you.

They stayed up there for a bit longer until Maya yawned and decided they should get some sleep.

They dropped Lucy off at her common room first then started to walk to the Slytherin common room. Maya felt more and more stressed the closer they got, not wanting to return to her room.

When they arrived they all said good night, then Maya turned to walk inside. She was about to step in before George called out.

“Maya?”

She turned towards him, confused. “Yeah?”

“I meant what I said the other day. I do think you’ll do well in Slytherin. Just...just ignore the spoiled gits in there.” George stuttered awkwardly, his cheeks becoming a soft pink.

Maya smiled at him, and noticed Fred was a few steps ahead, not paying attention.

“Thank you, George. That means a lot.” She hesitated before she continued. “If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure if you guys would still want to talk to me after tonight.”

Shocked, George quickly reassured her. “Blimey! That’s ridiculous, we’re not that cruel! We may pull some more pranks on you, sure, but we’d still be your friend!”

Maya felt her cheeks blush slightly, and thanked the hallways for being dark.

“Good night, Weasley,” She turned to the common room.

“G’night, Frances.”

-

As she walked back into her dorm, all four girls were asleep.

Maya stepped into her bed and after five minutes, she fell asleep.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3: First Year- Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George faked offense, “So am I no one’s favorite Gryffindor?”  
> “Well you could be if you helped me prank Malfoy?” Maya said, bringing back the original conversation.  
> George slammed his hand on the table, “I’m in!”  
> Maya reached over the table and hugged him. “Thank you!” As she leaned back both their faces became a light shade of pink.  
> “Well if he’s in, I’m in!” Fred smiled.  
> Lucy sighed, realising her defeat. “Okay, well obviously you guys will need a brain so I’m in too.”  
> -  
> Malfoy was an asshole, Maya got angry, Fred, George, and her best friend Lucy help her get revenge.  
> Oh! And Maya snaps at Snape!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This was updated a lot later than planned and I'm sorry! I had a lot of schoolwork to do, and by school work...I mean I kept playing among us and going on TikTok....but it's here now! Enjoy!

By the time Maya woke up and got out of bed everyone had already left. She found her robes and uniform by the end of her bed ready for her to start the day.

She grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom to change, but when she got to the tie she struggled. She struggled for about ten minutes until she finally got a somewhat decent looking knot, then left.

-

Maya walked down to the Great Hall and only managed to get lost once which she was extremely proud of. She waved at the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table, then slowly made her way to Slytherin.

She sat a good distance away from the others to avoid their glares and whispers. For a few minutes it was fine, until someone spoke up.

“So... Frances, where were you last night?” Pansy asked, a smug smirk on her face.

Maya sighed, not wanting to deal with Pansy. “I was in the common room, couldn’t sleep. Why? Were you worried?” Obvious sarcasm in her tone.

Pansy scoffed at that. “Worried? About a muggle born. That’s absurd. Although, I am a bit worried about what you’ll do to Slytherin’s reputation.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, according to Daphne, she went down to the common room last night and she said that she saw you walk out with a _Weasley_.” Pansy shuddered as she said Weasley, as if it were a horrifying thought.

Maya rolled her eyes, “So what if I did? They’re better company than you.”

“They’re blood traitors! First the damn hat let’s a stupid muggle born in-”

“Pansy!” Daphne sputtered, trying to stop her.

“Then! As if it wasn’t bad enough! She goes and hangs around blood traitors!”

Maya, deciding it was too early in the morning to deal with someone as close-minded as Pansy, grabbed her books and left to go to class early.

-

She found her Transfiguration class easily. No one else was in the class other than a cat sitting at the front desk, so she sat at the very front. Typically, Maya would sit at the back of the classroom, but magic was different from anything she had learned in her muggle schools, so she was excited.

She sighed and accidentally slammed her books down on her desk.

‘Who does Pansy think she is?’ Maya thought to herself. ‘Blood-traitors? What does that even mean? I swear, at some point this year I might punch her so hard that-’

“Good Morning, Miss Frances,” A familiar voice startled Maya out of her thoughts.

Maya jumped in shock. “Professor McGonagall! How did you get here so quickly?”

McGonagall smiled at her, “I’ve been here the whole time. Why are you here so early, dear? Class doesn’t start for another twenty minutes.”

Sighing, Maya answered truthfully. “Slytherin’s aren’t the best company.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that.” She stepped closer to Maya’s desk and continued, “However, don’t give up on them just yet. The sorting hat makes no mistakes Miss Frances, I believe you have a purpose to your house.”

Maya rolled her eyes in disbelief, “Try telling that to Pansy Parkinson.”

“If there’s any trouble, you are allowed to sit at another house’s table. I don’t advise you to continue to skip meals.”

“Really? I could sit at the Ravenclaw table? That’s allowed?” Maya jumped with excitement at this news.

Professor McGonagall chuckled at her enthusiasm, “Well yes, technically you can, but you didn’t hear that from me.” She winked and transfigured back into a cat, earning a gasp from Maya.

A few more minutes passed until more students started to appear. Lucy came in as well and sat next to her best friend.

“Where on earth did you go? I was looking all over the Slytherin table for you! One moment you were there and the next you were gone!” Lucy scolded.

“Sorry, I left early. Everyone at that table was bothering me, so I came here. But good news!” She lowered her voice to a whisper, “According to McGona-I mean some random person that I never met before, told me I can sit at any table during meals.”

Lucy beamed, “That’s great! Sit with me, we can trick some Ravenclaw purebloods into thinking flashlights are muggle wands! Me and some other muggle borns have been doing that since dinner last night.”

Maya laughed as her friend continued to ramble about all the jokes she’s already made.

Class started and both girls were so amazed by all the magic, the class ended before they knew it.

-

The day got better since that morning. Maya enjoyed her classes and spent lunch at the Ravenclaw table. At first everyone there looked at her strangely, assuming that because she’s a Slytherin she would be rude. But after Maya made a joke about Snape’s greasy hair, everyone seemed to get along fine.

When Maya finished all her classes, she decided to reward herself by going to the library before dinner. She hadn’t been to the library yet, but the twins told her that there was a section with muggle books that she could read.

She arrived at the library and was amazed by all the books she saw. The entire place smelled like books and made Maya smile. She searched around for a while looking for the muggle section and when she found it, she quite literally leaped with excitement.

There were about three shelves dedicated to muggle books and there were so many different genres, Maya could not believe her eyes! This was definitely her favorite part of the whole library; she could already see herself spending the next seven years here reading.

She wasn’t sure what book she wanted until she remembered her brothers suggesting the book _Matilda_ not too long ago. She made a quick decision that that was the book she wanted and began the search.

This took longer than expected. Thirty minutes had passed and still nothing. She was just about ready to give up when she caught sight of the bright yellow cover. It was on a high shelf with a desk sitting beside it. She made her way to the shelf and realised she would be unable to reach the book unless she stood on the desk. Unfortunately, that would not work out.

Sitting at the desk was none other than Draco Malfoy.

Determined to get this book, she took a deep breath and approached Malfoy.

“Hi! There seems to be a book above you that I would like to check out, can you quickly grab it for me, please?” She asked sweetly.

Malfoy looked up at her and scoffed. “And why would I do that?”

“Oh jeez, I don’t know maybe because it would be nice?” Maya suggested sarcastically.

“And you just _assumed_ I would be nice to the one who’s putting a bad name on the Slytherin house?”

“Look, if you don’t want to grab it that’s fine. I can get it myself; you just have to move over for a second,” Maya groaned, becoming annoyed.

“Of course, you would want a book from this section. Filled with filthy muggle books, honestly there’s much better op-”

Fed up with his nonsense, Maya shoved him and stood up on the desk herself to grab her book. 

Now, Maya is not the most graceful person in the world. Her original plan was to grab the book and hop off the desk, leaving Malfoy in his shocked state, but that didn’t work out. 

Instead, as she hopped on the table, it was a bit wobbly. She tried to stabilize herself by grabbing the shelf, but instead grabbed a bunch of books and knocked them all over. Fortunately, only one managed to hit Malfoy in the head. Unfortunately, it was the only copy of _Matilda_ in the library.

Malfoy grabbed the book that hit his head and kept it in his hands. The two stood in shocked silence for about ten seconds until Malfoy lost his mind.

“You filthy, disgusting, dirty _Mudblood_!” He screeched.

Maya, not even aware of what that word meant, but getting the idea that it wasn’t friendly, was absolutely _not_ going to apologize.

“This never would have happened if you just handed me the book...LIKE I ORIGINALLY ASKED!” She remarked.

“Maybe if you were just smart enough to not approach someone worth more than you!”

“Oh please! You’re a spoiled jerk who’s just upset that he got rejected by Harry Potter! News flash! Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean people will like you!”

“Well just because you have a stupid prophecy doesn’t mean you get special treatment!”

Maya was beyond angry now. She screamed, “SPECIAL TREATMENT?? Did I MISS something? Last I checked everyone has been calling me names, whispering behind my back, or giving me constant glares!” She took one last deep breath before finishing, “You watch your back, Malfoy. One way or another, you’re going to learn that being rich doesn’t give you a free pass to be an ass. Whether I have to prove it to you myself, it WILL happen!”

With that, she hopped off the desk she was still standing on, grabbed her book from Malfoy’s hand, and marched out of the library.

-

She went into the Great Hall still angry and stormed to the Ravenclaw table.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows, a look of concern on her face. “Maya? What’s wro-AH!”

Maya grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her to the Gryffindor table where the Weasley twins were minding their business, happily eating dinner. Once they saw how angry Maya looked as she approached, they became fearful for their lives.

“Whatever you think we did...it was Ron!” George blurted, food still in his mouth.

Ron gasped, “Hey!”

“I don’t care what you, or _Ron_ , did or didn’t do!” Maya began. “Look, this Malfoy kid really pissed me off and I need all the help I can get so I can get revenge.”

“Well sure, we were planning on pranking him at some point, but what did he do?” Fred asked eagerly.

“He was just being an ass okay? Someone should put him in his place, and I want it to be me.”

Lucy shook her arm out of Maya’s grip. “Maya, don’t get me wrong, pranking him seems great and all, but it’s only the first day. We could get in trouble for this.”

“I don’t care! If we don’t do something now, he’ll continue to get away with his behavior!” Maya pleaded.

“Well I think it’s a brilliant idea!” Harry chimed in.

Maya smiled at him, “Thank you, Harry! You’re my new favorite.”

Harry’s ears turned red in embarrassment, “I-uh...your new favorite what exactly?”

Calming down, Maya sat next to Harry. “Gryffindor! You’re my new favorite Gryffindor!” 

“Wait whoa whoa whoa. Hold on, I didn’t know there was a competition! I assumed it was already me!” George sputtered.

Fred laughed, “You? It would obviously be me.”

Lucy sat down as well, next to Fred. “No Fred, you’re _my_ favorite Gryffindor.”

George faked offense, “So am I no one’s favorite Gryffindor?”

“Well you could be if you helped me prank Malfoy?” Maya said, bringing back the original conversation.

George slammed his hand on the table, “I’m in!”

Maya reached over the table and hugged him. “Thank you!” As she leaned back both their faces became a light shade of pink.

“Well if he’s in, I’m in!” Fred smiled.

Lucy sighed, realising her defeat. “Okay, well obviously you guys will need a brain so I’m in too.”

As they ate dinner, the four discussed their plans on how to prank Malfoy. Fred suggested setting his clothes on fire, which Lucy immediately turned down. They continued throwing out several ideas, Harry and Ron joining in once in a while, until dinner came to an end. They still didn’t have a solid idea, but the twins promised to continue brainstorming and would let the girls know when they had the perfect plan.

They were all leaving the Great Hall when Maya remembered the word Malfoy had called her. She still wasn’t sure what exactly a “mudblood” was, but she assumed it couldn’t be anything nice. She knew that Lucy probably had no idea either and that it would be best to ask one of the twins. Remembering George’s concern, the other night about how the Slytherin’s were treating her, she hesitated to ask, but ultimately decided she needed an answer.

“Hey George, can we talk for a minute?” She asked quietly.

George looked confused but nodded. “Yeah, sure. Freddie, I’ll catch up with you later alright?”

Fred looked at the two, then at Lucy. The two shared a knowing look that neither George nor Maya understood. Fred nodded and him and Lucy walked in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room.

Maya and George walked in the opposite direction. Once they were a few feet away Maya started to talk.

“So, I would have asked both you and Fred, but I didn’t want you both to get angry because I knew that when I told you this you would get angry and I-”

“Frances,” George cut her off, “Calm down, I’m sure I won’t be that mad.”

Maya gulped, “Well...when I was in the library with Malfoy, I accidentally dropped some books on him-” George laughed, “Oh shut up. Anyways, after I dropped the books, he lost it and started yelling at me, which to be fair was pretty ridiculous because it all could have been avoided if-”

“Frances.”

“Right right sorry. So, he called me this weird word which I never heard of before. I figured it was some sort of wizard insult and wanted to ask you what it meant. I think it was ‘mudblood’?”

George stopped walking. “I’ll kill him,” He growled.

Maya stared at him wide-eyed. “What? What’s wrong?”

“It’s a foul word, he shouldn’t have said that. Why didn’t you tell us he said that? Never mind, doesn’t matter.” George turned around in the opposite direction of where they were going. “I’m going back to Fred; he has to know. I’ll kill him I swear-”

Maya grabbed his arm, “No! You’re angrier about this than I am. I just want to know what the word means!”

He sighed and looked at her, “It means ‘dirty blood’, it’s an awful word that people from You-Know-Who’s army would use to refer to muggleborns.” Then he shook his arm out of her grip, continuing to go back to Fred.

Maya frowned and ran after him. “Stop! We’ll get our revenge by pranking him! Trust me, this will be much more satisfying than simply punching him in the face.”

“Maya, he deserves more than being punched in the face after what he said.”

“George, I know I asked for your help with pranking him, but that’s because I suck at pranks. I don’t need you defending me, I can fight my own fights.”

The two stared at each other for a minute in silence, both refusing to break eye contact. Eventually George looked away, accepting defeat.

“Fine, but I’m putting Fred’s idea of setting his clothes on fire back on the table.”

Maya sighed in relief, “You can try, but Lucy will remove it again.”

They started to walk again.

“So what were you doing in the library anyway?” George asked.

“Oh! I got this book in the muggle section!” She took the book out of the bag she was holding to show him.

George gave a mischievous smile. “Nerd.”

She gasped dramatically and nudged him. “At least I’m not a ginger!” She joked and started to walk faster.

“Wait what?” He ran after her. “Hey what’s wrong with gingers!”

Maya cackled from ahead.

-

A few feet in the opposite direction, Lucy and Fred were walking together.

“Your friend is really terrifying when she’s angry, you know that?” Fred began.

Lucy laughed, “Just don’t let her get mad at you and you’ll be fine.”

“Can’t make any promises, it’s my job to make people annoyed,” he teased, bumping into her.

“Yeah well you’re really good at that,” Lucy rolled her eyes.

“Hey! If I remember correctly, I’m pretty sure you said I’m your favorite Gryffindor!” Fred reminded her.

Lucy’s cheeks turned pink, she forgot she even said that and hoped he did too. “I have no memory of that ever happening.”

Fred smirked, “Um, like twenty minutes ago?”

“You should get your memory checked, I never said that.”

“Deny all you want, Higgins. You and I both know it was said.”

“I won’t admit anything until you admit that I’m obviously your favorite Ravenclaw.” Lucy smirked, determined to make Fred the flustered one.

Fred laughed, “Lucy, you’re like the only Ravenclaw I know. That’s not exactly tough competition.”

“Still waiting for an answer…”

“Alright, even though I have barely spoken to many Ravenclaws. You would still be my favorite.”

Lucy smiled triumphantly, “Wow thanks! Well, I’ll see you later!” Then she opened the door to the Ravenclaw common room.

Fred hadn’t even realised they had arrived there; he was in complete shock.

“Wait! What about me? Now you tell me that I’m your favorite Gryffindor!”

Lucy stepped inside, “Why would I do that?” Then shut the door leaving Fred standing there with his jaw hanging open.

He turned around to walk to the Gryffindor common room.

“A first year! I just got played by a first year!” He mumbled to himself. Despite being shocked, and a bit angry, he smiled.

-

The rest of the week was spent by going to classes and then discussing potential pranks during meals. When they came to a final decision, they agreed to get their revenge Friday night. Until then, Maya sat eagerly in her potions class bouncing with anticipation for the night to come.

All of a sudden, the door swung open and Professor Snape walked in dramatically. Maya was familiar with this professor, but strongly disliked him. He was the head of Slytherin house, and he was aware of Maya’s situation, but did absolutely nothing to help. She knew this class would be a drag.

Snape started to do roll calls and when he announced Maya's name, she heard Malfoy snicker.

She rolled her eyes, “Present.”

He continued calling out names and paused when he got to Harry’s.

“Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new-- _celebrity_.” He said with an attitude.

Once again Malfoy and his group laughed. Harry looked embarrassed and Maya offered him a small smile as comfort.

Harry and Maya had formed a friendship quickly this past week. In a way they understood each other. They both were raised by muggles and thrown into a new world where apparently everyone knew their names. It was terrifying.

“Potter!” Snape said suddenly. “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”

‘What?’ Maya asked herself. ‘It’s the first day he can’t possibly expect him to know this!’

She looked at Snape then looked at Harry whose expression was helpless.

‘Who the hell would even know this?’ Then she looked at Hermione whose hand was stretched all the way up. ‘Oh...that’s who.’

“I don’t know, sir,” Harry answered.

Snape sneered. “Tut, tut--fame clearly isn’t everything.” Then he looked at both Maya and Harry.

“Wha-” Maya started to ask.

“Let’s try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?” Snape ignored Maya.

Maya started to get annoyed. She wanted to shout at the professor that this was ridiculous and to just call on Hermione, who was now even more eager to answer the question.

“I don’t know, sir,” Harry repeated.

“Thought you wouldn’t open a book before coming, eh, Potter?”

Maya had enough.

“Professor, this is ridiculous. Even if he had read the book, you can’t expect anyone to have the entire thing memorized!” She looked at Hermione, “Well..anyone except Hermione.”

Snape continued to ignore both her and Hermione and asked Harry another question.

“What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?”

Hermione stood up, desperate to answer the question.

Harry, just as annoyed as Maya spoke up.

“I don’t know. I think Hermione does, though, why don’t you try her?”

A few people, Maya included, laughed.

Snape told Hermione to sit down, took a house point from Gryffindor, then answered his ridiculous questions for everyone. After that he split everyone up into partners to work on a potion. He was listing names then stopped at Harry and Maya.

“We’ll have the two _celebrities_ work together. Seems as though they’re already close enough.” He sneered.

Maya and Ron switched seats and Ron was sent to work with Lucy.

“With your partners, you will be expected to mix a simple potion to cure boils,” Snape announced to everyone. “Now get to work, I expect results by the end of class.”

Maya and Harry worked together smoothly. Both a bit confused, but able to figure it out.

“That was totally unfair of him,” Maya said quietly to Harry.

Harry rolled up his sleeves carefully. “I don’t understand why he hates me. We’ve only been here a week. I haven’t caused that much trouble yet.”

“I don’t get it either. You know, everyone has said that I would put a bad name on the Slytherin house, but it seems like he’s already done that.”

Harry chuckled as he added another ingredient and his arm lightly brushed against Maya’s.

Suddenly, she saw a flash of images again.

This time she saw Harry on a broom, struggling to gain control. She saw him stumble off and hanging on with one hand, desperately trying not to fall. She then caught a glimpse of Snape muttering something under his breath.

She broke out of her trance from a loud crash and gasped.

Harry looked at her concerned. “Maya? What’s wrong?”

“Harry...I think-”

“Idiot boy!” Snape snarled from across the room.

Neville and Seamus’s potion seemed to have spilled and managed to infect Neville. The poor boy was covered in boils and was moaning in pain.

“I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?” Snape yelled.

Neville whimpered in fear and Snape ordered Seamus to take him to the hospital wing.

Snape then made his way to Maya and Harry, an angry glint in his eye.

“You--Potter--why didn’t you tell him not to add quills? Thought he’d make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That’s another point you’ve lost for Gryffindor.”

Both Maya and Potter were about to snap back, but Ron cleared his throat and gave them each a look of warning. They remained silent as Snape turned back around.

Eventually the class finally ended, and Maya attempted to get out as fast as she could, until Snape called her name.

“Miss Frances, I’d like to speak with you for a moment.”

Maya looked at Lucy desperately, and Lucy motioned that she’ll wait outside for her.

Sighing, she walked to the cloaked professor.

“Yes?” She asked.

“When speaking to me, you will speak formally. I am your professor.” He scolded.

She looked down. “Sorry, sir.”

“It is respectful to look at the one you are having conversation with, in the eye.”

Maya groaned, and made eye contact, clear anger in her eyes. “My most sincere apologies, sir.”

Snape sneered, “Miss Frances we need to build some rules.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Rules?”

“The sorting hat put you in my house for a reason. I’m still trying to figure out that reason, but I don’t doubt the hats choice. However, because you are here now, you must know how a Slytherin must act.”

“You mean I need to act more like Malfoy? Call everyone names and cry over getting rejected? No thanks.” Maya spat.

The professor looked at her angrily. “I understand that Mr. Malfoy is...difficult, however, he at least respects his elders.”

Maya scoffed, “Malfoy has done nothing but insult professors all week. He only respects _you_ because you favor Slytherin!”

“Miss Frances I can’t have you and your temper coming out after everything I say! I am a professor teaching a class, your interruptions get in the way of that. Now, normally I would take house points away for your behavior, but because you’re a Slytherin. I do not wish to do so. So, I am suggesting now that you remain quiet, and keep your ignorant comments to yourself during our class. Do I make myself clear?” Snape snapped.

“So...I could be as obnoxious as I wanted, but you won’t take points away because I’m a Slytherin?” Maya smirked.

Snape opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again.

“That is not the message I was trying to convey. I need you to remain quiet in class so that-”

“So that when I act out, it’s not unfair to other houses when you don’t take away house points.” Maya finished for him. “You see, I understand. I do, but I don’t want to do that. Instead, I’m going to take advantage of this. Whenever _you_ do something unfair, I am going to call you out on it. I will continue to do this until you get the courage and responsibility to take points away from your own house. Until then I will be nothing, but loud.” She made direct eye contact like he told her to in the beginning, “Thank you for this discussion, Professor. It has really enlightened me.”

Then she walked out and found not just Lucy, but Ron and Harry as well. They all stood there with their mouths hung open.

“That was bloody _brilliant_!” Ron boasted.

The four walked together in the halls laughing at Snape’s utter shock.

“The way he was speechless!” Lucy laughed.

“And his eyes got all wide!” Ron cackled.

“But why would he even tell me that he wouldn’t take away house points? That was just stupid on his behalf,” Maya smiled.

Harry was laughing, but he couldn’t stop thinking about how scared Maya looked in class before Neville got sent to the hospital wing.

He decided to speak up.

“Hey, Maya? What were you going to tell me before the Neville incident?”

Maya frowned. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure? You seemed really shook up about it and-”

“The concern is appreciated, but I’m fine thanks.” Maya said quickly.

She felt guilty about not telling Harry but telling him the truth didn’t seem wise. If this really _was_ his future that she was seeing, trying to tamper with the future could make things even worse.

Lucy looked at her with both concern and confusion in her eyes.

Maya smiled, “I only thought we messed up the potion. Really, that’s all!”

Harry nodded; a frown apparent on his face. Lucy knew she was lying but didn’t question it.

Ron spoke up. “Harry, you told Hagrid you would meet up with him, right?” Harry brightened up again at that and nodded. “Mind if I come?”

Harry beamed and agreed to let Ron come. He asked if Maya and Lucy wanted to come as well, but they politely declined.

“Gotta help the twins with our revenge on Malfoy. We’ll see you tonight!” Lucy said.

They waved and split ways.

-

“You guys just missed Maya scream at Snape!” Lucy announced to the twins as they entered the abandoned classroom, they have been using all week.

“Ok, I didn’t scream,” She laughed.

“Did he take away any house points?” Fred asked, his eyes focused on the concoction him and George were making.

“Nope, I took advantage of being a Slytherin for once,” Maya said proudly and hopped on the desk next to the mysterious product.

“So, is this it?” Lucy asked, getting a better look at it.

Fred looked up and smiled proudly. “Yup! Isn’t she pretty!”

She chuckled at him, “Sure, but if it’s going to blow up does it really matter if it's pretty or not?”

Fred gasped, “Of course it’s important! If it doesn’t look cool, then what’s the point?”

“It’s called marketing,” George added.

Maya and Lucy looked at each other and laughed.

“Okay okay, it’s pretty, but what’s the plan? How will we get this to Malfoy?” Maya asked.

George smirked, “Tipped a house elf two sickles to put this in the cake at the Slytherin table. We just have to hope that Malfoy sits near the cake.”

“And if he’ll be sitting with those Crabbe and Goyle kids...well then, they should be sitting near the cake,” Fred finished.

“Alright, but what if they don’t sit near the cake?” Maya pointed out.

“Well then the cake will explode on another slimy Slytherin,” George confirmed, then realised what he said, “um...no offense.”

Maya smiled unoffended.

Lucy jumped, “I’m so excited to see the look on Malfoy’s face! Every time he’s near he has the cockiest look on his face I just want to punch it right off him!”

“I mean if you still want to hurt him, setting his clothes on fire is still an option,” Fred volunteered.

“No, it’s not,” Lucy rejected quickly.

The twins laughed and added a few more final touches.

After Maya and George’s talk about the “mudblood” situation, Maya made George promise not to tell anyone. She didn’t want to cause too much trouble by making Fred or Lucy angry, and so far, George has kept his word.

“Done!” The twins announced in unison and high fived.

“Okay, here’s the plan. We’ll go down to the kitchens, Lucy and I will go in and give this,” he held the final product in his hand proudly, “to the house elf. Maya and George will do a lookout.”

“Okay, this plan sounds good, there's just one part that doesn’t work,” George said.

Fred raised an eyebrow. “Which part?”

“All of it.”

Lucy coughed, trying to cover up her laugh and Fred scowled at her.

“Why wouldn’t it work?” He cried.

“Freddie, you make the house elves nervous. They always think you’re going to prank them or something,” George reminded him.

“I only pranked them once and regretted it after McGonagall made me help out in the kitchens! They can trust me now!” Fred protested.

Maya rolled her eyes as the siblings fought. “When you ladies stop fighting, can we go to the kitchens? George and Lucy can go inside, Fred and I will keep lookout.”

The twins' voices stopped.

“Did you just call us ‘ladies’?” Fred asked.

Maya hopped down from her desk, “Yup, now let’s go.”

They walked together, the twins leading the way. The twins were having their own conversation discussing quidditch and the girls followed in silence until Lucy spoke up.

“I know you were lying to Harry earlier.” She whispered.

Maya groaned, “Just drop it.”

“It happened again, didn’t it? You saw more pieces of his future?” She persisted.

“Yeah I did, but it’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal! You are seeing visions! Maya, that seems like a big deal to me!” Lucy spoke a little louder, but not loud enough for the twins to hear.

“Lucy, if I am seeing the future then maybe it’s best if I don’t tell anyone. Especially Harry! Knowing your future can be dangerous and I don’t want to mess anything up!” Maya urged.

“Yeah, normally messing with the future is dangerous, but maybe that’s why you were given the job. Like someone in the universe knew you would be smart enough to do it.”

Maya looked at her friend, confused.

Lucy sighed, “You came to Hogwarts because you have a prophecy. You’re “The Girl Who Changes Everything”, maybe these visions help you do that!”

Maya shook her head. “Even if you’re right, I don’t even know how I would do that!”

“Well you could start by speaking with the Headmaster,” Lucy suggested.

“Let’s wait. So far none of my visions have even happened yet, if anything I pictured did come true, then we’ll talk to Dumbledore. Okay?”

Lucy knew this was all she would get out of her friend, so she nodded in defeat. The two were quiet the rest of the way.

“Alright, we’re here!” Fred announced.

“Uh...where?” Lucy asked.

“Right there!” George pointed at a painting.

“Dude, that’s a painting of a pear,” Maya laughed.

“Well yeah, you gotta tickle the pear to get in,” George said as if it made perfect sense.

Lucy blinked twice. “I’m sorry...you what?”

Fred reached for the painting and stroked the pair as if he were tickling a person. The pear then slowly transfigured into a doorknob.

Maya and Lucy looked at each other, their faces humorously confused.

“No yeah, obviously you just tickle the pear,” Maya said sarcastically

Lucy laughed, “Yeah, I knew that’s what you would do. Obviously, you tickle the pear.”

“Yeah yeah, obviously you just tickle it.”

“Because when you see a pear, you automatically just assume-”

“To tickle it,” The girls finished together.

“I don’t know how you people do it in America,” George said while opening the door.

“But here we tickle pears when we see them,” Fred implied.

Maya laughed, “Okay enough about the pear. Lucy and George go give the exploding thingy to the house elf.”

George and Lucy gave small salutes and stepped in.

Fred slumped on the wall and sat on the floor.

“Wow, you’re good at keeping lookout,” Maya said sarcastically.

Fred chuckled, “This isn’t our first time sneaking into the kitchens. I know when the professors walk by.”

Maya trusted him and sat next to him.

“So, what exactly did you do to the house elves that makes them nervous?” Maya asked curiously.

“I released a few dungbombs in the kitchens my first year. George was against the idea, said it could ‘tamper with the food’ but I did it anyways,” Fred laughed at the memory. “I feel bad about it now, the house elves are actually good company. They just check my pockets every time I walk in now.”

Maya laughed, “So it’s normal for you two to make something explode?”

“At least twice a week,” Fred winked.

The door opened and Lucy and George came out.

Lucy pointed her head at Fred and Maya on the floor. “Wow, you guys did a good job keeping lookouts. I feel really reassured,” She commented sarcastically.

“Thanks!” Fred and Maya responded and got up.

-

“I’m going to crap my pants. What if this doesn’t work?” Lucy asked as she sat next to Fred at the Gryffindor table.

Fred stared at her and scooted away. “Don’t soil yourself, it’ll work.”

She rolled her eyes at him, “I’m _kidding_ , jeese, it’s an expression!”

Fred smirked, “Yeah sure, an ‘ _expression_ ’,” he used finger quotes when saying expression. “Whatever you say, Poopypants.”

Lucy looked at him, face completely serious. “You did not just call me Poopypants.”

“I did,” Fred said far too proudly.

She smacked his head, “Are you five?”

Maya and George watched them in amusement while Ron and Harry were laughing.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw the cake appear at the Slytherin table. It appeared right in front of Malfoy and the group of four all sighed with relief.

“Now we just have to wait till they get to dessert,” George elaborated excitedly.

“I can’t believe you guys actually went through with it,” Harry chimed in.

“I can’t believe how many points will be taken away,” Hermione stated.

Fred looked at her. “That’s only if we get caught.”

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. “Who else would do this? Obviously, Professor Snape will punish you guys!”

“Everyone except me,” Maya pointed out.

The group continued to watch the Slytherin table, too excited to eat their own dinner (unlike Ron who was moving on to his third plate). Eventually, Malfoy started to reach for the cake.

“Oh!” Lucy shouted and grabbed Fred’s arm tightly.

“Jees, Poopypants, you got a tight grip!” Fred yelped.

She blushed and removed her arm. “Sorry.”

“Shh!” Maya shushed and watched.

Malfoy placed the knife in the, about to make the first cut when…

_BOOM_

Cake splattered all over Malfoy, his usual groupies, and plenty of other Slytherins.

The Great Hall went completely silent for about five seconds, until Ron started to snicker. Suddenly the entire Great Hall was laughing, making Malfoy furious. The four celebrated by hollering and wiping tears of joy.

All the professors seemed to be shocked and frowning, except of course McGonagall. She had a subtle smile hidden on her face.

Maya was celebrating when she saw Malfoy glaring at her. Fred, George, Lucy, and Maya all stared back at him, then smiled and waved.

-

The four exited the Great Hall when Malfoy ran up to them.

“Do you idiots have any idea what you’ve done!” Malfoy sputtered as he approached them. Crabbe and Goyle followed shortly.

“Oh hey, Malfoy! You got a little something on your robes,” Maya taunted.

“Shut it you mud-”

“Watch it!” George yelled and pushed Maya behind him protectively.

“Got yourself a bodyguard?” Malfoy sneered, looking ridiculous with cake all over him.

Maya shoved past George. “Don’t need one, especially not for _you_.”

“You have no idea what you have started. You will not get away with this. You’re just a couple of blood traitors and mudbloo-”

“Ahem,” a voice came from behind them.

Everyone turned around and found Professor McGonagall standing there.

“Ah! Professor! Here to punish these fools?” Malfoy smirked.

“Yes, I believe they should receive detention for their little ruse,” She mused.

“I think they should have multiple detentions. Teach them a lesson on not to mess with a pureblood.”

“Mr. Malfoy, you will also be serving detention for using foul words on four kind students,” McGonagall reprimanded. The smirk fell off Malfoy’s face.

Fred laughed, “Well I wouldn’t go as far as to say kind-” George elbowed him.

McGonagall ignored them, “Malfoy you will meet in my office next Monday to learn how to treat people with respect, and 15 points from Slytherin for your foul mouth. The rest of you four will clean the Great Hall tomorrow night after dinner as your detention. 10 points from all your houses.” Then she winked at the twins and girls and left.

Malfoy stepped up to Maya one last time and spat.

“Watch yourself,” Then he left.

-

Maya stepped into the common room late that night. The four celebrated their successful revenge by sneaking out into the quidditch pitch. They stayed out there for a few hours until they got tired.

Maya had expected the common room to be empty but was surprised when she saw Daphne Greengrass sitting by the fire.

“Everything alright?” Maya questioned.

Daphne was staring at the fire, nodded to herself as if coming to a final decision, then stood up.

“I’d like to apologize,” She stated.

Maya looked at her with shock. “What?”

Daphne stepped closer. “My parents raised me to believe that anyone who isn’t pureblood is evil. When I found out you were a muggleborn, I was afraid of being your friend.” She took a deep breath and continued. “If my parents found out, I could get in a lot of trouble. So, at first I stuck with Malfoy. Except he’s a jerk and is the most boring person to talk to. Then after tonight...what you did...it was really cool and funny! And extremely brave!” She laughed, “I mean...anyone who has the guts to do that to Malfoy...it’s impressive.”

Maya stared at her. “Uh...thanks?”

Daphne sighed and looked at the other girl. “I’m sorry for how I treated you, and how I let others treat you. I want to enjoy my time at Hogwarts, and I think you should too. In your own house.” She offered her hand, “friends?”

Maya stared at Daphne’s offered hand and smiled.

“Friends.”

They shook hands and went to their dorm together.


	4. Chapter 4: First year-Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just one kiss on the cheek for good luck?” George asked from behind.  
> She laughed. “Sure!” She kissed the palm of her hand, smacked him on the face, then left.  
> She heard Ron and Fred laughing and she smirked.  
> -  
> A prank war started, Harry almost falls off his broom, and apparently Quirrell is the bad guy? Oh! And the Weasley's discover what "Barbies" are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god...WE FINALLY FINISHED YEAR 1! Woo! This took a lot longer than expected, which means the whole fic itself will be longer than expected....but that's ok! That's fun!  
> Anyways enjoy this chapter :)

Chapter 4

A month had passed since the big cake prank, and Malfoy had yet to actually take revenge. At first Maya was nervous, but after the first week of nothing happening, she no longer cared.

The past month had been better than Maya had expected. Now that she had at least one friend in Slytherin, people tended to hold back their comments. The cruel words were still said, but at least not when she was around, they were all too afraid she would prank them like she did to Malfoy.

Maya had also started to sit at the Slytherin table more as well. Her and Daphne had gotten along surprisingly well and often studied together. She introduced Daphne and Lucy and the three spent a lot of time together. Daphne is still too uncomfortable to be friends with any Gryffindors, so for now Maya had kept her time with the Weasley twins and Daphne divided.

Most days were spent with Daphne and Lucy, then at night her and Lucy would explore the castle with the twins and sometimes Lee Jordan. They pulled a few more pranks, one time being on Quirrell. That prank resulted in releasing Lee’s spider in his office and Quirrell accidentally destroying his office in fear. They had detention for two weeks.

It was the week before Halloween, and they were finishing up their last detention.

“I think after two weeks of cleaning under these desks, my back has officially broken,” Lucy complained from under a desk.

“Explain to me again why we agreed to help you guys out with this prank again?” Maya groaned.

“Because it was funny?” Fred suggested.

“Or because it’s fun?” George added.

Maya shook her head, “Remind me of these past two weeks before I agree to another prank.”

“Me too!” Lee exclaimed. “He almost killed my spider!”

“I’m done!” Lucy yelled and jumped out from under the desk.

Five minutes later and they all finally finished.

They were walking out of the classroom together but was stopped by a sudden _pop_.

Within two seconds the entire corridor was covered in smoke and the group started coughing and panicking.

“What the bloody hell is going on?” Fred coughed.

Lucy squinted, “Fred? Where are you? I can’t see anyone!”

Maya heard her and grabbed her arm.

“Everyone grab onto whoever is nearest to them! We’ll form a chain and walk out together!” Maya yelled through the smoke.

They all grabbed each other and slowly started to walk.

“Maya, do you have any idea where we’re going to end up?” George asked.

“Nope.”

They continued to walk.

“Light! I see light!” Lee yelled and sprinted, dragging everyone with him.

The sudden pull was not good for the group. They got out of the smoky corridor; however, they also fell on top of each other. They all groaned and coughed unaware of where they were.

Maya’s vision became less fuzzy and realized she had landed on top of Lucy. As she looked at Lucy she gasped.

“Lucy…don’t freak out but-“

“Your hair is purple!” George pointed at Maya.

She rolled her eyes, “No, _Lucy’s_ hair is purple not mine-YOUR HAIR IS PURPLE TOO!”

“Everyone’s hair is purple!” Lucy yelled.

“What the hell? Fred, was this you?” George asked.

“Why the hell would I do this to myself?” He cried.

Suddenly, a cocky laugh came out of nowhere.

Maya groaned, “Oh for the love of-“

“Well don’t you five look cute!” Malfoy strutted into the hallway.

“Malfoy,” They all scoffed at once.

“I told you to watch yourself. You fools let your guard down,” He sneered.

“Hey! I had nothing to do with that cake thing! You could have left me out of this!” Lee protested.

Malfoy ignored him. “Good luck getting the color out, supposed to last a few days.” He started to walk away, but then turned back around. He looked at Maya and spoke, “Think twice before you start getting too comfortable at the Slytherin table. Just because you brainwashed Greengrass, doesn’t mean people actually want you there.”

Maya got up and reached for her wand, but realized it fell out of her pocket when she fell.

“I’m not scared of you, Malfoy. You won’t get away with this.” She raged.

“You messed with the wrong people, Malfoy,” Fred said while standing up.

The rest of the group all walked up to where Maya was standing, and George spoke up.

“You just started a war, and you’re going to lose.”

Malfoy scoffed and walked away.

“Jokes on him, the hair actually looks pretty cool,” Lucy said once Malfoy was gone.

-

The next day Daphne took Maya and Lucy to the library to try and find a way to get their hair back to normal.

“I really don’t hate the purple hair, I think it looks good on us,” Maya commented while Daphne grabbed another book.

Daphne shrugged, “I just feel bad! If I knew what Malfoy was up to, I would have told you guys right away.”

Lucy smiled, “We know that, don’t feel bad.”

“I think we just have to accept the hair for the next few days. We’re wasting time! Instead we should be trying to get revenge!” Maya suggested desperately.

“God what did I sign up for!” Lucy groaned. “We’re going to spend the next seven years pranking Malfoy, aren’t we?”

Maya sighed, she didn’t mean to get everyone in this mess, but it was too late.

“If you don’t want to get revenge, I understand. I can do it on my own.”

Lucy smacked Maya’s head, “I never said that! I want to get revenge!” She lowered her voice, “I’m debating Fred’s original idea of setting his clothes on fire.”

The three girls giggled together. They eventually left the library and spent the rest of the day in the courtyard.

That night Maya sat at the Slytherin table with Daphne. She wanted to prove Malfoy’s point that she wasn’t scared of his or anyone else’s opinions, but when people stared at her hair, some of her confidence faded.

While eating, Maya got a ball of paper thrown at her. She looked at the direction it came from, and found Fred and George staring at her, gesturing to open it.

She opened the note, ‘Meet in the kitchens at midnight, Gred and Forge.”

Maya raised an eyebrow at them, but all they did was give a thumbs up and throw another paper at Lucy.

She had been unaware that Malfoy had been watching the whole scene. He grabbed the note from her hand and read it.

“You would think after yesterday, Frances would learn to stop hanging around blood traitors like the Weasleys,” He spat, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy laughed.

“And you would think after we caused cake to blow up on your face, you would learn not to be such a jerk,” She spit back and snatched the note back. “Is your life so boring you can’t mind your own business?”

Malfoy’s face turned red and ignored her for the rest of the meal.

-

Maya knocked on the Ravenclaw common room to walk to the kitchens with Lucy. Lucy opened the door and was in her pajamas.

“I like the outfit,” Maya chuckled as her friend stepped out.

“Shut up, it’s late. I want to be comfortable.”

“Your pants have the Barbie logo on them,” Maya pointed out.

“Yeah, and they’re amazing. You wish you had Barbie pajama pants,” Lucy remarked.

Maya nodded, “You’re right, I do wish I had Barbie pajama pants.”

They walked up to the painting and Maya tickled the pair. They walked in to see the twins already there.

“Wow, Higgins you really dressed up for us,” Fred laughed.

Lucy rolled her eyes, “You guys pull me out of the common room at midnight almost every night. I’m tired, let me be comfortable.”

“Personally, I’ve been inspired and will be following in your footsteps next time,” Maya said as she sat next to George.

“What the hell is a ‘Barbie’” George asked.

“Please tell me you’re joking,” Lucy gasped.

“Um…no?” George responded confused.

“Oh my God….” Maya muttered.

“Well what is it?”

“The best dolls ever! Muggle toy company, I’m getting you both barbies for Christmas,” Lucy insisted.

“You’re going to get us muggle dolls for Christmas?” Fred questioned.

“Yeah!”

“I feel honored, but Ginny might take them,” Fred said.

“No way! If I’m getting ‘the best doll ever’, I’ll hide them from her like my life depends on it!” George stressed.

“We’ll get a doll for everyone. Ron is definitely a Ken guy,” Maya teased.

They joked around for a while, discussing barbies, other muggle toys, and of course different ways to prank Malfoy. Eventually a house elf appeared and gave the group some hot chocolate with extra whipped cream which Fred inhaled in two minutes. He tried stealing Lucy’s about five times and earned a smack on the head each time.

Two hours had passed until Maya realized the time.

“It’s getting late, we should head back to our dorms,” Maya said.

Lucy yawned and nodded.

The four were about to walk out of the kitchen, Fred leading the way, until he paused and quickly shut the door.

“Mrs. Norris is right outside,” He whispered.

“So?” Lucy asked, “It’s just a cat.”

Fred rolled his eyes. “Brilliant observation. This cat snitches to Filch when students are out passed curfew.”

Lucy and Maya laughed until they looked at the twins and realized they were being serious

“Okay, so what’s the plan? What do we do?” Maya asked.

“There’s a secret tunnel across the hall behind the soldier painting, we just have to get there without Mrs. Norris noticing,” George said.

Maya turned around and looked around the room for something small. Her eyes travelled around the room for a bit until they landed on the fruit bowl.

She ran up to the fruit bowl and grabbed a small fruit, she assumed it was an apricot.

“How good are you two at transfiguration?” Maya asked the boys.

They shrugged.

“Suppose we’re not that bad. McGonagall yells at us a lot, but we know she loves us,” Fred said.

“So, could one of you transfigure this into a bell?” She questioned.

“We could try,” George said and took the apricot.

It took a while, but eventually it worked, and the apricot was now a small bell.

George shook the bell, proud of himself. “Now what?”

Maya smirked. “Now I throw it.”

“What?”

She took the bell out of his hand and opened the door slowly. She shook the bell slightly, causing Mrs. Norris’s ears to twitch. Then she threw the bell as hard as she could down the corridor. The cat got up and ran in the direction chasing the bell.

“Go! Go!” Maya whispered loudly.

The group ran to the soldier painting George had mentioned and quickly entered the secret tunnel.

“ _Lumos_ ,” Fred whispered and lit his wand.

“I swear to god, these night adventures are going to give me a heart attack one day,” Lucy whispered trying to catch her breath.

“Frances, that was brilliant!” George beamed.

She shrugged. “It was nothing, cats just like things that makes noise. I would’ve suggested you transfigure a laser pointer, but I doubt you two know what that is.”

Judging off the twins confused look, she assumed she was right.

“So how the heck do we find our way to our common rooms from here?” Lucy asked.

Fred smirked. “Thought you’d never ask.” He reached into his pocket and took out a folded piece of parchment. He pointed his wand to it and said, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

Suddenly words and images appeared on the parchment and the girls gasped.

“What is that?” Lucy asked, moving closer to get a better look.

“This is what we use to cause chaos and get away with it,” George explained.

Maya watched as names appeared and paused at Ron’s name.

“Hey, whose name is that next to Ron?” She squinted and got a closer look, “Peter?”

“We don’t know, but they’ve been sharing a bed since the first night,” Fred answered.

“We would ask him about it, but we don’t want him to feel pressured,” George said.

“We support him either way though,” Fred confirmed.

Lucy and Maya looked at each other confused but didn’t question any further.

They walked around and eventually Maya arrived at the Slytherin common room without getting caught.

She said good night to everyone and went inside. She smiled when she saw Daphne asleep on one of the couches.

She lightly nudged her shoulder.

“Daphne?” She whispered. “Daphne, wake up let’s go to the dorm.”

Daphne jumped slightly and squinted her eyes.

“What time is it? Did you come up with a plan? Did you already prank Malfoy? What happened?”

Maya chuckled, “Relax, I’ll tell you in the morning. Let’s go to bed I’m exhausted.”

-

The next morning Maya explained the plan to Daphne.

The plan was to slip a potion in Malfoy’s drink during dinner which will hopefully turn his skin blue if brewed properly. They said they would meet at the Gryffindor table the next morning to discuss ingredients.

When Maya and Daphne arrived in the Great Hall, they split ways and she promised she would sit at the Slytherin table for lunch.

As Maya sat next to Ron that morning, she overheard his conversation with Harry.

“It’s either really valuable or really dangerous,” He said.

“Or both,” Harry responded.

A pit formed in Maya’s stomach. If Harry was talking about something dangerous, that meant it’s likely her visions have been real. She had to know what they were talking about.

“What’s dangerous?” She asked.

The two jumped not realizing she had arrived.

“Oh, er, nothing,” Ron stammered.

She raised an eyebrow at them, and Harry tried to avoid eye contact.

“Harry, there’s something I should tell you-“

Before she could tell Harry about the visions she has seen, owls flooded into the Great Hall with letters and packages for everyone. There was a thin package being carried by six owls. Everyone watched, curious as to who it was for, until it was suddenly dropped right in front of Harry and a note following.

Harry hurriedly ripped open the note and grinned widely. He showed the note to Ron, too excited to keep it a secret.

“A Nimbus Two Thousand!” Ron moaned enviously. “I’ve never even _touched_ one.”

They got up quickly, eager to open the package, but Maya became more anxious.

“Wait!” She yelled and grabbed Harry’s wrist. He paused and stared at her confused. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one staring, everyone at the Gryffindor table watched her with confusion. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment and knew she couldn’t warn Harry with everyone watching. “Um…never mind…enjoy your broom.”

She let go and he ran off but looked back a few times worriedly.

“What was that about?” George asked.

Lucy had arrived in time to watch the scene and looked at Maya concerned.

“Uh,” she paused trying to come up with a lie. “Just worried he’ll get in trouble for having a broom.” She avoided looking at Lucy otherwise she would have to tell the truth.

George smiled comfortingly. “Don’t worry, he’s supposed to have one. You’re not supposed to know yet, but Harry is part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.”

Maya knew he was trying to comfort her, but she just felt guilty for lying. His words of comfort also didn’t help. It just reminded her of her vision in potions class where he almost fell off his broom on the Quidditch pitch. She shook her head and swallowed down the fear and guilt then put on a fake smile.

“Good for him, I’m sure he’ll do great.” She continued to ignore Lucy’s gaze. “Did you find out what ingredients you’ll need for the potion?”

If the twins knew she was lying, they didn’t say anything. Lucy kept glaring at Maya but didn’t say anything. They spent the rest of the meal discussing what they’ll need to steal from Snape’s potion cupboard.

-

The potion was finished right before dinner and Fred gave Maya the potion.

“Make sure whenever you slip this into his cup no one notices,” he said.

“Gee thanks for the tip.” She rolled her eyes. “How do we know for sure this is going to work and won’t accidentally kill him?”

“We don’t,” George admitted. “But you’re the one putting it in his cup, so if anyone gets sent to Azkaban it’s you. Good luck!”

The twins walked into the Great Hall and left Maya and Lucy standing by the entrance.

“Why are we friends with them again?” Maya asked Lucy.

“Because they won’t leave us alone,” she answered. “Don’t get sent to Azkaban…whatever that is, good luck.” Then she walked to the Ravenclaw table.

Maya took a deep breath and put the potion in her robe pocket. She walked up to the table and sat close enough to Malfoy where it wasn’t suspicious. Daphne soon joined her.

“Do you have it?” She whispered.

“Yeah.”

“So how do you plan on getting it in his drink without him noticing?”

“Still working on that part,” She mumbled.

Malfoy was sitting with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. Maya wasn’t too worried about Crabbe and Goyle, but she knew if Pansy saw anything she would snitch.

“I have an idea…” Daphne said.

Maya turned to her quickly. “What is it?”

“Give me the potion,” She said suddenly.

Maya reached for the potion hesitantly, then took it out. “Why?”

Daphne snatched it out of her hand quickly and stood up. “Sorry if I say anything mean.”

“What?” She asked confused.

Daphne moved to where Malfoy was and sat next to him. Everyone looked confused, too shocked to speak.

“You were right, Malfoy. She was too obnoxious to be around,” Daphne wept suddenly.

“What?” He asked caught off guard. Then he realized what she was saying and smirked. “Oh…right well obviously. We tried to warn you.”

Pansy watched cautiously, not fully believing what she’s seeing.

“I hope you all can forgive me! I think she poisoned me! I never would have ditched you guys, I swear!” Daphne exclaimed, continuing to let tears fall.

Maya watched confused, unsure if this was an act or not.

Malfoy scoffed. “Well I wouldn’t be surprised. Mudbloods are capable of that.”

Daphne sniffled and nodded. “Can I sit with you guys please? I don’t think I can stand a moment longer with her.”

Malfoy glared at Maya then looked back at Daphne and nodded.

Suddenly Daphne wrapped her arms around Malfoy and gave him a big hug. He was stiff at first but started to lightly pat her back. Daphne winked at Maya and poured the potion into his drink, then released Malfoy from the hug.

‘Oh… _Oh_!’ Maya thought to herself. ‘Wow she’s smart!’

Daphne then lifted up her drink to the small group. “Cheers to reuniting!”

Everyone lifted up their cup and yelled “Cheers!” and took a sip.

Malfoy started to gag and, in an instant, his pale face became a light shade of blue.

Before Malfoy could even comprehend what had happened, Daphne slapped him.

“That’s for calling my friend a bad word!” Then she got up and sat right next to Maya who was too stunned to react.

She could hear the twins and Lucy laughing from the Gryffindor table and that brought her back to reality. She grabbed Daphne into a hug.

“That was AMAZING!” She laughed.

Malfoy got up and ran out of the Great Hall, the others following not far behind him.

The entire Gryffindor table celebrated by shouting wildly and Maya couldn’t stop laughing.

They ended up having detention again, but no one cared.

They sent a message to Malfoy; a prank wore had begun.

-

Halloween had passed, A troll was released in the dungeons, Harry Ron and Hermione became an inseparable trio, and pranks between Maya and Malfoy had continued.

Now it was November, it was colder, and the Quidditch season had begun.

The twins were busy at Quidditch practice and their midnight adventures had decreased to only a few nights a week.

Today there was a match between Slytherin, and Gryffindor and it was Harry’s first game. Maya couldn’t listen to Malfoy complain about Harry being a first year on the team any longer, so she sat at the Gryffindor table.

When she sat down, Harry looked like he was going to be sick.

“Alright there, Harry?” She asked.

“He won’t eat anything,” Hermione answered for her.

Maya frowned. “You’ll need your strength for today, eat at least a few bites.”

“I’m not hungry,” He mumbled.

She ignored him and put a piece of toast on his plate and started to spread jam on it.

“Maya, really, I’m fine,” He protested.

Maya continued to ignore him. She knew what was going to happen today, she knew there was a chance he could get hurt and needed him to have enough strength to get through it.

“Harry, I swear if you don’t take at least two bites I will shove it down your throat,” she threatened.

His eyes went wide and started to take small bites and Maya smiled proudly.

Fred smirked. “Thanks for keeping our seeker well fed, Frances. He’ll be strong enough to beat you guys now.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Sorry for being concerned for Harry’s health,” she said sarcastically.

Eventually it was time for them to leave. Maya was so nervous about her visions, she quickly kissed Harry’s cheek and wished him good luck.

George looked offended. “Hey, do I not get one?”

Fred pouted. “Yeah! Wish us luck too!”

She rolled her eyes. “No.”

“What?!” They both gasped.

“Just because I wish Harry good luck, doesn’t mean I want Gryffindor to win!”

Fred dramatically pretended to faint.

“Look what you did? You killed my brother!” George cried and pretended to check his pulse. “You don’t even like Slytherin! Why would you want them to win?”

“Not true! I like Slytherin! I just don’t like the _people_ in Slytherin, there’s a difference,” she noted.

Fred started to get up. “I feel hurt and betrayed, I can’t believe I trusted you!”

“I literally didn’t do anything to betray you,” She groaned.

“It’s not what you did, but what you _didn’t_ do,” George exclaimed dramatically.

“I’m leaving,” she started to walk.

“Just one kiss on the cheek for good luck?” George asked from behind.

She laughed. “Sure!” She kissed the palm of her hand, smacked him on the face, then left.

She heard Ron and Fred laughing and she smirked.

-

She was sitting with Daphne cheering on along with everyone else. At home she wasn’t a huge fan of sports and almost never attended her older brother’s football games. Yet for some reason she found herself enjoying Quidditch. She also had to admit, the twins were actually really talented. Of course, she would never actually tell them that.

She was finally starting to relax when it happened. She noticed Harry started to lose control of his broom just as she predicted. She sprinted to the front of the stands and gripped the railing. She looked at where Snape was sitting and saw him mumbling words just like she saw earlier.

No one seemed to notice Harry was struggling at first.

‘How can no one see this?’ She thought to herself.

She screamed for Fred and George’s attention, eventually they noticed she was pointing at Harry and they flew over trying to help him, but everything they tried failed. Each time they flew closer to him his broom got lifted higher.

She looked around frantically and spotted Hermione and Ron watching fearfully.

“HERMIONE!” Maya yelled to her.

Hermione heard her and turned in Maya’s direction. Maya pointed at Snape, trying to show her who’s behind this. Hermione grabbed Hagrid’s binoculars and her mouth dropped in shock. The two girls made eye contact, and both nudged their heads in Snape’s direction. They both left their stands.

Her and Hermione fought through the crowd to get to Snape’s stand. At one point they bumped into Quirrell and knocked him over but were too focused to apologize. When they got to Snape, Hermione took out her wand.

“What are you gonna do?” Maya whispered.

“Just keep look out!” Hermione responded.

She shot out blue flames and set Snape’s robes on fire and Maya laughed in shock.

Hermione grabbed her arm and they ran back to their original stands. Before they separated Hermione asked her a question.

“How did you know it was Snape?”

“Um…dunno just a gut feeling,” she lied.

Hermione looked at her quizzically. “I saw you in potions the first week. You looked zoned out and terrified at the same time. Did you see something?”

Maya forgot who she was talking to. She knew Hermione was too smart to believe her lies.

“I’ve been getting visions. Not all the time, but sometimes when I’m around Harry. I wasn’t sure what they were at first, but now I know it’s definitely the future,” She said.

“Have you seen anything else? Have you told anyone? You should talk to Dumbledore about this!”

“I’ve seen a few other images, but I can’t figure out what they all mean. But I haven’t told anyone other than Lucy and I’d like to keep it that way for now. I don’t want anyone to think I’m crazy,”

Hermione looked at her frustratedly, but then her face softened. She knew Maya was already struggling with people calling her names and didn’t want her to struggle more.

“Okay, I’ll keep it quiet for now. But if you see anything else, _please_ let me know. I want to help.”

Maya smiled and hugged her. “Thank you.”

-

Christmas was coming and Maya and Lucy were going home in just one day. They were excited to see their families and tell them about their adventures so far, but they also felt bad for leaving the Weasley’s here. They stayed at Hogwarts because their parents were visiting their brother Charlie in Romania, and although they said they weren’t upset, Maya and Lucy still felt like they needed to do something.

Maya and Lucy decided to get Hermione to help out on their plans and the three had worked well together.

One day when they were planning everything, Hermione asked Maya a question.

“Hey, Maya, in your visions have you heard about anyone named Nicholas Flamel?”

Maya and Lucy shared a confused look.

“No, why?” she asked.

“Hagrid mentioned the name a while ago. Ron, Harry, and I think Snape is trying to steal something and somehow Nicholas Flamel is involved,” She said casually.

“You think Snape is trying to steal something?” Lucy repeated.

“We’re not completely positive right now that it’s Snape, but he’s our best bet,” she said.

“Please don’t get yourselves killed…” Maya begged.

Then they went back to planning their Christmas party,

The day before Christmas break is when they decided to have their celebration, and Harry and all the Weasley’s had no idea what they were planning.

The girls had asked McGonagall two days ago if they could use her classroom to celebrate and she excitedly agreed as long as they promise to clean up after.

So here they were in the Transfiguration classroom throwing their presents under the tiny fake Christmas tree McGonagall had transfigured for them, and frantically putting up lights and paper snowflakes on the walls. McGonagall agreed to bring all the boys to her classroom so it would be a surprise and they would arrive soon.

“Hats! Everyone hats!” Maya yelled and threw Santa hats at Lucy and Hermione.

“Okay, okay. Are we good?” Lucy double checked.

Hermione glanced around the room for the hundredth time. “I think so.”

They took their positions by the Christmas tree and waited anxiously.

Not too long after they heard Fred’s loud voice.

“Professor I swear! I don’t know who it was that almost set the whomping willow on fire, but it wasn’t us!” He yelled.

The classroom door opened, and the girls all yelled.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

They all looked around the room shocked and amazed.

The girls grabbed their extra Santa hats and forced each of them to wear one.

“Did you guys plan this?” Harry asked in awe.

“Yup!” Lucy said proudly. “I did all the snowflakes. Maya can’t hold scissors properly.”

Maya smacked her friend’s head.

“But I didn’t get you guys anything…” Harry said apologetically.

“You didn’t have to!” Maya said quickly. “We wanted to do this! We all felt bad that you couldn’t go home, so we wanted to celebrate with you guys!”

“Are those cookies?” Ron pointed at the plate of desserts.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Yes, Ronald there are cookies.”

Everyone grabbed a cookie and sat by the Christmas tree. They told jokes and shared old Christmas stories together.

Maya was too excited she couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Okay! Present time!” She passed out each present.

“Me and Maya’s are from the both of us because we made a promise and we stick to our promises,” Lucy commented.

Everyone opened their gifts and Fred and George gasped.

“BARBIES!” They yelled together.

Hermione laughed as she held her own doctor Barbie in her hand.

Ron and Harry looked at their matching wedding set Barbies. Harry got the bridal doll, and Ron got the groom, Ken.

Fred and George were given matching princess dolls and took them out of their box in less than thirty seconds.

“What do we do with them?” Ron asked.

George smacked him. “They’re the best dolls ever. Obviously, you love and cherish them!”

They all laughed as the twins made their dolls smack each other.

Hours had passed, it was getting late and the girls still had some packing to do. Everyone helped clean up together. They blasted Christmas carols to keep them motivated.

George walked up to Maya who was struggling to reach one of the snowflakes on the wall. He reached above her and grabbed it for her.

“Thanks,” she smiled.

He blushed. “No…I want to thank you. This was really great, it’s nice to celebrate the holidays with family even if it’s not exactly…blood related.”

Maya’s eyes widened as he said family. “Oh crap!”

Everyone looked at her.

“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked.

“We forgot to invite Percy!” She yelled.

Everyone was silent for about a minute until Fred burst into laughter. Everyone else started to laugh except for Lucy, Maya, and Hermione who were horrified with themselves.

“How could we forget a whole person?!” Lucy exclaimed.

Fred, still laughing, put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it too much.”

“Yeah, he probably would have just given us detention for destroying a classroom or something,” George laughed.

“Should we still get him a Barbie?” Maya asked.

“Nah, he doesn’t deserve one,” George teased.

The next day they were getting ready to leave and everyone wanted to say goodbye. They gave each other hugs, but Ron was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Ron? I was hoping to say goodbye,” Lucy asked.

“He should have been here, probably fell down the stairs or something,” Fred said.

At that, Ron came sprinting to them with gifts in his hands.

He arrived panting. “Sorry…fell down the stairs.” He took a moment to catch his breath before he spoke again. “These are for you!” He said then handed both girls a gift.

“What is it?” They both asked.

“Mum likes to knit us sweaters every year,” Fred said.

“Guess she wanted to make one for you guys too. That means your family now!” George teased.

Maya and Lucy beamed and hugged everyone again.

When they left, they opened their sweaters and smiled at the cheesy gift.

-

After Christmas, something had changed.

When Maya came back, she felt dread, like something bad was going to happen.

For a while nothing too bad had changed, the prank war with Malfoy continued and more Slytherins were starting to trust Maya more.

By the end of the year, she started to forget her feelings of uneasiness. She dismissed it as nerves for her exams. However, it all came back when taking her last exam for Defense Against Dark Arts.

She was one of the first few students who had finished and when she walked up to hand in her exam, Professor Quirrell asked her to stay till the end of class. She assumed he had done this for everyone, but when she saw Lucy leave as she finished, she started to get confused. Finally, everyone had left, and Quirrell had stood up.

“Is everything alright, Professor?” She asked politely.

“Miss Frances, how has your first year at Hogwarts been?” He asked.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Uh, alright? Why?”

He started to slowly walk up to her. “Anything strange happen?”

She started to feel anxious again. “Other than that time Fred had pumpkin juice come out of his nose, no.”

“That seems doubtful.”

Maya then realized that the Professor she had become used to hearing speak with a stutter, was in fact speaking clearly.

“E-Excuse me?” She questioned nervously.

“I’ve been watching you, Frances. You have a gift,” he spoke with such confidence she found it strange.

“Can I leave sir? You’re making me uncomfortable…” She began to pack her things quickly.

‘There’s no way he could know about my visions, right?’ She began to think to herself. ‘Neither Hermione nor Lucy would have snitched.’

“If you’re wondering if I found out through your pathetic friends,” Quirrell placed his hand on her books, causing her to stop packing, “you’re wrong. Your friends were indeed loyal to you.”

She ripped her book out from under his hands.

“Maya, I need you to do me a favor. I need to see if I can succeed, and I-I c-can’t do that w-without your h-help.” His stutter started to come back.

“Succeed with what?” She asked.

“Y-You don’t need to k-know that part. I-I just n-need you to look, p-please,” he seemed to be begging.

Maya knew that whatever he needed to ‘succeed in’ it couldn’t be good. Even if she could help him, she wouldn’t.

“I’m sorry Professor, but I can’t control my visions. They come randomly,” she apologized then got up to leave.

“By helping me, your Slytherin friends will finally accept you,” he shouted.

“No,” she moved quickly to the door, but he was faster.

Professor Quirrell had grabbed her arm and the touch had sent her into a spiral of visions.

She saw a vision of him unraveling his turban, revealing the face of Lord Voldemort himself. She saw Harry trying to fight him, and she saw Harry passed out on a staircase, possibly dead.

When she came back from her visions she was trying to get out of his grip and screamed for help.

“Well? What did you see?” He asked, keeping a strong grip on her arm.

“LET ME GO!” She yelled desperately, trying to break free. “HELP!”

“You will tell me what you saw!” He screamed.

Maya remembered the time her dad had taught her self-defense and she kicked her professor right in the no-no square. He released her and she sprinted out of the classroom as fast as she could.

“HELP! HELP! SOMEONE!” She was screaming as she was running.

Suddenly she felt a jolt of pain on her back and she collapsed onto the ground.

Quirrell stood above her and spoke, “You should have just told me what you saw.” Then he left.

She was unable to move, and her eyes grew heavy. Before she could fall asleep, she saw a flash of blonde hair.

“Frances?” A voice spoke from a distance. “Merlin’s beard!” The voice came closer and she felt someone lift her head.

She thought it might have been Malfoy but knew that would be impossible because he wouldn’t care about her.

“W-What happened?” The voice asked. No that was definitely Malfoy.

‘Great, I’m about to die and the last person I see is Draco freaking Malfoy,’ she thought.

She had to warn everyone about Quirrell though, whether it was Malfoy or a house elf, she had to tell someone.

“Q-Quirrell, i-it’s Quirrell,” she coughed. “T-tell ‘Mione, not Snape.”

Then everything went black.

-

“Will you shut up? She’s trying to sleep!” A voice yelled.

“But isn’t the point that we _want_ her to wake up?” Another voice replied.

“You two are the most insufferable people I’ve…” the first voice paused. “Wait! Maya! She’s waking up! She just squeezed my hand!”

Maya groaned and squeezed the hand she felt in hers. She slowly opened her eyes to see Lucy’s brown hair a complete mess sitting next to her. Fred was also sitting next to her as if he was trying to comfort Lucy while Maya was passed out. She turned to the other side and saw George in the other corner quietly, he looked exhausted.

Maya tried to speak, but her throat was dry.

Lucy jumped up and reached for a glass of water. “Here drink this! You’ve been out for days.”

Maya gratefully took the glass and chugged it.

Madam Pomfrey appeared suddenly from behind a curtain.

“Miss Frances! You’re awake! How are you feeling?” She asked calmly.

Suddenly, Maya remembered what had happened before she blacked out and she jumped up ignoring the pain in her back.

“Quirrell! It’s Quirrell! Someone warn Harry!” She yelled.

Madam Pomfrey smiled warmly at her. “Everything was taken care of, Miss Frances. Mr. Malfoy spread the news for you. Mr. Potter is okay, in fact he’s over there.” She pointed at another bed where he laid in a bed speaking with Dumbledore.

“So, Quirrell is gone?”

Everyone nodded.

Maya let out a sigh of relief and let herself lay back down.

“So, what happened?”

Madam Pomfrey explained how Quirrell had managed to poison the ink she used for her exam which could cause someone to black out, if activated by a stunning hex, which she inevitably was. She then explained that Malfoy was the one who had brought her to the Hospital Wing, confirming her suspicions before she blacked out. Apparently, Malfoy had taken her here and then told Madam Pomfrey what she had said, but by the time the professors could warn Harry and his friends, it was too late. But Harry had still managed to save them all.

After Pomfrey explained everything, she let Maya rest with her friends for a bit.

“Maya, I am never leaving class without you again!” Lucy cried. “The one time, the _one time_ I leave without you because I had to pee, you end up practically dead!”

Maya laughed at her friend. “Lucy…your hair is a mess.”

She lightly swatted her friend’s arm. “Shut up, I’ve been too nervous to brush my hair. But I at least left to sleep! I don’t think George left once!”

George’s face turned red as they all looked at him. “I left a few times,” he mumbled.

Fred laughed, “Yeah, to pee and that’s because Pomfrey kept yelling at you!”

“Shut up.”

“Sorry for scaring you guys,” Maya apologized.

“No,” Lucy said.

“What?”

“No, you’re not apologizing that’s stupid,” Lucy stated.

“But-“

“No, I won’t accept any apologies. But I will accept a ‘You were right, Lucy! I should have told everyone the truth about my visions and shouldn’t have been stupid enough to keep it a secret!’” Lucy mocked in her best Maya impression.

“Yeah what the hell?” Fred asked. “This whole year you had been seeing visions of the future and didn’t say anything? What do muggles call those people? Psycho?”

“Psychic,” Lucy corrected.

Maya ignored them. “I didn’t want to worry anyone! I didn’t think it could get me killed!”

“Well it did!” George spoke louder than he meant to and cleared his throat. “I mean, it almost did…You should have told us. We ended up more worried because we thought you were dead!”

“Oops…” She smiled. Maybe it was because she almost died, the craziness of the situation, or her complete exhaustion, but she suddenly started laughing hysterically.

They all stared at her as she laughed like a madman. But then Lucy started laughing too.

“You almost,” Lucy struggled to catch her breath, “You almost died!” She laughed even harder.

The two girls were gone. They kept laughing until they couldn’t breathe.

Fred and George stared at each other, concerned for the two girls.

They eventually calmed down and tried having as normal of a conversation as you can when one of your friends almost dies.

By the time it was time for dinner, Lucy and Fred got up to leave and promised to come back before bed. They looked at George silently asking if he was going to join, but he shook his head. They waved and left.

It was awkward for a few minutes until Maya noticed the flowers that were on the table next to her.

“Who…” She started to ask.

“Malfoy,” George answered and took the seat Lucy was previously sitting in.

Maya laughed. “No seriously, who are they from?”

“Seriously, they’re from Malfoy,” he said, tone completely serious.

She took the note from the flowers, not believing George. When she read the note it just said, “Sorry, D.M.”.

“Well that’s…oddly nice of him,” Maya said in shock.

“I don’t trust them. I tried convincing Pomfrey to check for curses, but she refused. I’ll burn them for you if you want,” he suggested.

Maya laughed at him. “Thanks, but I think they’re okay. He seemed genuinely worried when he found me…”

George stiffened. “So, you like Malfoy now?”

“What? No, I just think it’s sweet.”

“Do you really think his apology was sincere?” George scoffed.

“I don’t know, is it really that bad if it is?” She asked confused.

“I should’ve been there, he shouldn’t have been the one who found you,” he mumbled.

“George, it’s ok. He ended up helping out, don’t worry too much about it,” she spoke softly.

“But what if he tries to use this in the future? Makes you help him out in return for saving your life?”

“I really don’t think he would do that. Is Malfoy a prick? Yes, but he also did the right thing when he needed to.”

George sighed. “Okay, but if he tries anything come to me. I’ll…I’ll beat him up.”

Maya laughed at him again. “Thank you, I feel really safe now.”

George smiled and flexed his muscles teasingly. “Good, you should. One punch and he’ll go flying.”

They both laughed and hadn’t realized when Professor McGonagall walked in.

She smiled at the two then cleared her throat. “Good evening, Miss Frances.”

Maya jumped, startled by the new voice, then smiled when she saw who it was.

“Hi Professor, is everything alright?”

“Yes dear, everything is fine. May I speak with you alone for a bit, please?” McGonagall looked at George when she asked that.

George sat there for a minute contemplating whether or not he should actually get up.

Maya whispered to him, “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll be fine for a few minutes, go eat dinner.”

He frowned. “That’s what you thought the last time a professor wanted to speak with you alone.”

“George, I don’t think McGonagall would try to kill me. Unlike you, I actually pay attention in her class.”

George mocked offense, then decided he probably should get up. He walked up to McGonagall and spoke.

“If I come back and she’s dead. Fred and I will pull more pranks than you could imagine.”

She smiled at the boy. “Thank you for the advice, Mr. Weasley. I promise she’ll be alive when you come back. Now go get dinner, you haven’t left in two days.”

George nodded and smiled at Maya one last time, then left.

“I can’t imagine why the world put you and Miss Higgins together with the Weasley twins but believe it or not they’ve been tamer this year than they have during their years previous. For that, I thank you,” McGonagall said as she sat in a chair.

“Really? Even with pranking Malfoy all year?” Maya asked shocked.

“Perhaps maybe not, but at least the trouble they caused were on someone who deserved it.”

Maya gasped at her professor. “If you think Draco deserved it, then why did we get all those detentions?”

McGonagall laughed. “Well no one can know that I picked sides,” she paused. “Anyways, this isn’t why I came. How are you feeling?”

Maya sighed. “I’m okay, just a little sore. I’m sorry I didn’t go to Dumbledore about my visions…”

Her professor frowned. “No, don’t be sorry, dear. Next time something like this happens, I want you to come to me first, okay? If there’s a dire emergency and I’m not there, then you may speak with Dumbledore, but I would like to hear from you first.”

Maya nodded. She was confused, but she will admit that she would feel more comfortable speaking with Professor McGonagall.

“You said ‘next time something like this happens’. Do you think this could happen again?” Maya asked nervously.

“Unfortunately, with you and Harry Potter both in Hogwarts, I wouldn’t be surprised. But we can try to limit the dangers as much as we can,” she sighed. She didn’t look like her normal, on-point, put together, self. Instead, she looked tired and worried. “I had really hoped you could have a normal seven years at Hogwarts, but I’m afraid this may be the new normal. Unless…”

Maya stared at her. “Unless what?”

“You were offered a chance to attend Ilvermorny at the beginning of the year. If you choose to stay out of danger, the offer at the American school still stands.” McGonagall took out a letter. “I wrote to them the other day, they said you were more than welcome to attend, if you’d like.”

Maya’s jaw dropped. How could she leave now? Maybe in the beginning of the year she would have considered it, but now…now she had friends and she _knew_ she had friends. She knew that Fred and George cared for her. She knew that Daphne would be devastated if she left. She knew that if she left, Lucy would end up leaving as well, even if she really didn’t want to. And she knew she couldn’t leave Harry. She got visions of his future for a reason, she had to stay here to help keep him out of trouble. To _change_ his fate.

Maya shook her head at the professor’s offer. “I appreciate the gesture, but I’m afraid I still have work to do here.”

McGonagall smiled at her. “Whatever choice you make, I’ll support.” She put the letter away. “You should get some rest, once you’re able to move again the twins may drag you on more midnight adventures.” She got up to leave.

Maya gasped. “You knew about them?”

McGonagall winked and left.

Maya sat there in shock for a minute, but she started to feel tired again.

She smiled to herself, proud of her decision.

She then fell asleep, thinking about all the future adventures she will go on.

-

They arrived at Platform 9 ¾’s a week later. The school year had officially ended, and it was time to go home.

Maya was not looking forward to saying goodbye at all, but she knew she would see everyone soon.

When she saw her parents at the station, she ran to them immediately and hugged her mom tightly. As much as she loved her time at school, she missed her mom’s hugs more than anything.

“Ready, sweetie?” She smiled at her daughter.

“Give me a minute to say goodbye,” she responded and went to her friends.

She gave Ron, Hermione, and Daphne hugs and promised to figure out how to write from America.

When she got to Harry, they hugged tighter than she did the rest.

“Promise not to almost die over the summer?” Maya teased Harry.

After they were both left in the Hospital Wing after almost dying, they liked to joke about the situation. No one else found it funny, in fact Hermione found it horrific, but they thought it was the funniest joke in the world.

“I’ll try, but no promises,” he smiled, and they hugged again.

Then came the harder goodbyes. Her and Lucy went to the twins together and smiled.

“Well, thanks for helping me out in a prank war,” Maya started.

“Don’t be a sap, you Americans always get overly emotional,” Fred joked, refusing to show any signs of sadness. (Everyone knew he wanted to shed at least one tear).

They hugged one last time and started to part ways.

As she turned around, someone had grabbed her wrist.

She saw George standing there, holding her arm.

“I’d say you turned out alright,” He said.

“What?” She laughed.

“I told you in the beginning. If you got sorted into Slytherin, I thought you’d do alright. And I was right. Except for the being stupid and almost dying part,” he joked at the last part.

She felt tears threatening to come out and she hugged him one last time.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

They let go and smiled.

“Later, Frances.”

“Later, Weasley.”


	5. Chapter 5: Year 2-Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred and George took their seats and Lucy moved her wand under the table, so she could amplify the sound. Fred sat down first and suddenly the room blared a loud PFFFFFT sound.  
> Fred sat up immediately, looking around confused, and the whole Gryffindor table was laughing.  
> “Merlin, Freddie I think you should stay away from the bacon,” George teased as he sat down.  
> “PFFFFFFFT”  
> He jumped up as well, his face turning as red as Fred’s was.  
> Maya and Lucy were crying, tears of laughter were streaming down their faces. They didn’t actually think it would work.  
> The invisibility charm wore off and the twins looked at what made the noise.  
> “What the bloody hell is this?” Fred roared.  
> Lucy could barely keep it together. “It’s a whoopie cushion! A muggle product!”  
> -  
> Maya no longer wears glasses, George wakes Maya up, and she has a weird bonding moment with Draco (after she punched him in the face of course).

Chapter 5

A lot had changed in one summer.

To start, Maya no longer needed her glasses. She never really understood why, but the doctor just told her one day she no longer needed them but may need them again in the future with no further explanation.

Her brothers had left in August to go to college, and not to long after, her father left as well. All summer her parents had been fighting, and according to her brothers they fought when she was at school last year.

At first, she was worried about her brothers leaving. She was scared that when they left, she would be alone to deal with her parents fighting. She felt guilty for feeling this way, but when her dad left, she was slightly relieved the fighting would seize.

Everything felt strange though. After years of living in a house with constant noise, the house became silent so abruptly. It was just Maya and her mom (and their dog of course).

She had been receiving letters frequently throughout the summer. Her and Lucy convinced the Weasley’s to try using muggle post. However, once the fighting started, she wrote back less and less.

She felt responsible for making sure her mom was ok. Even though she was only twelve and she knew she didn’t have to, she chose to. Maya had never seen her mom like this, and she had no idea what to do. It’s strange to see someone you knew to be strong your whole life, shut down. She had no idea what caused her parents to split up like this, but knew that whatever happened, she would not forgive her father. After seeing her mom like this, Maya created two rules for herself. To always smile for her mom, and to make sure her mom smiled at least once a day.

Except this rule couldn’t last forever…she had to go back to school.

She tried telling her mom that she didn’t need to go back to Hogwarts. That she could attend muggle school again so she would be close. But every time she suggested it, her mom would smile and tell her she couldn’t be the reason why her child doesn’t get a proper education. And because of Maya’s constant protesting on going back to school, her mom decided to get in touch with Molly Weasley, so she could be in England a week before school started.

It was the night before they were leaving and the two were packing together.

“Mom, this is ridiculous. I can be with you for another week,” Maya began her protests once again.

Her mom sighed. “Sweetie, you have had a shitty summer. You deserve at least one week of normalcy.”

“But I’m worried-“ Maya started.

Her mom put up a hand to silence her. “No, none of that. I am 45 years old; I don’t need my twelve-year-old daughter worrying about _me_.” She held her daughters’ hand. “Besides, I won’t be that far. While you and Lucy are having fun with your friends, Lucy’s mother and I will be having adult fun in London.”

Maya finally smiled at the thought of Lucy. Even though Maya hadn’t been writing many letters to her friends, she had of course kept in touch with Lucy. It would be impossible not to, they live five minutes from each other, and Lucy practically lived in Maya’s house.

Lucy was there the day Maya’s dad actually left. The two girls held each other and cried together. Lucy did as much as she could to help, but she knew just being there was the best she could do. That’s what she tried to do all summer.

At first, Maya tried keeping the fighting a secret, so she wouldn’t worry her friend, but that was impossible when having a friend as great as her.

Maya did, however, manage to keep it a secret from the Weasley’s and all of her other friends from school. It wasn’t necessarily on purpose. She was busy helping out her mom, so she had stopped writing letters. Then things escalated and well…she simply didn’t have the energy to tell them. She figured they knew by now though, if her mom had gotten in touch with Mrs. Weasley.

Maya and her mom continued to pack in comfortable silence.

-

The plan was to meet Mr. Weasley outside of the airport, and he would take the girls to the burrow in their “flying car” which Maya assumed was a joke.

They were surprised when they saw not only Arthur Weasley waiting for them, but Molly as well. Before any of them fully walked up to the car Molly had hugged almost everyone. She gave Maya’s mom a tight hug and whispered something in her ear, which her mom responded with a nod. Maya had no idea what that was about, but before she could ask Molly had shouted.

“Maya! Your glasses are gone! You look so mature!” Then she hugged her tightly.

“Thank you,” She chuckled in response.

They chat for a few more minutes until Molly announced they couldn’t stay too long because they left Percy in charge, which meant that Fred and George would probably blow something up.

Maya hugged her mom and fought back the tears threatening to spill.

“I can still stay with you this week,” she whispered to her mom quietly.

Her mom hugged tighter. “No no, I’ll be okay. I’ll see you in a week at the train station, don’t worry too much. And…” she looked in Maya’s eyes, “please just have fun. That’s all I want.”

Maya nodded and gave one last squeeze, then went in the car.

Lucy held her hand the whole ride there.

-

The Burrow was absolutely beautiful.

It was exactly what she had pictured by the way the twins had described it last year. There were multiple chimneys, a red roof, crooked, and several stories higher than any house should be. They had a large yard surrounding it, and it was lovely.

But despite how nice everything looked, Maya was still worried.

Arthur had parked the car, and everyone got out. Before anyone could say anything, Percy came sprinting to them.

“Snakes! Fred and George put snakes in my bed!” He shouted.

Fred and George ran quickly following behind Percy. Lucy snickered as she grabbed her trunk from the back of the car.

“Snakes? Don’t be ridiculous!” George exclaimed.

“Where would we even get snakes from?” Fred winked at the girls.

Molly huffed, “I don’t want to hear it! Fred, George, grab Maya and Lucy’s bags and carry them inside. Percy…go run and make sure Ron and Harry haven’t gone near the snakes.”

Percy wasn’t fast enough for her liking, so her and Arthur ran ahead as well.

Lucy was too excited to wait till they got inside, she hugged Fred instantly and then hugged George a second later. Maya, on the other hand, was nervous they would be mad at her for not writing letters. Or worse, she shuddered, they would feel bad for her.

Maya seemed to have forgotten who she was friends with because instead of doing either of those options, they stood there holding up their fingers in front of Maya’s face.

She cringed and backed away. “What are you doing?”

“So, you _can_ see!” Fred beamed.

“We thought you would be blind without your glasses!” George added.

She laughed at them.

“Just to double check though. How many fingers am I holding up? Fred asked, holding up three fingers.

Maya rolled her eyes. “I can see, Fred. You don’t need to test me.”

“That’s not an answer!”

“Ten,” She joked then got out her bags.

He looked at his hand as if to double check he wasn’t wrong. “Maya, I have one hand up, that’s not even possible.”

George put his hand on his forehead, mocking concern. “Oh Merlin, she can’t see _or_ count!”

“Shut up and help me carry my bags.”

“Of course, we can’t leave a blind person to carry her own bags. That would just be cruel,” George teased and took her bags out of her hands. Fred grabbed Lucy’s and they walked to the Burrow together.

Once inside, Arthur was carrying two dead snakes outside and Harry and Ron were sitting on the opposite side of the room. Maya laughed at their scared expressions and their heads turned at her voice.

“Maya!” Harry shouted excitedly and ran to hug her.

“No, it’s fine. I just carried your bags for you, but it’s fine. I don’t need a hug either,” George exclaimed dramatically.

Maya looked at him and stuck her tongue out as she hugged Ron next instead of him.

A small redhead girl who Maya recognized as Ginny came running down the stairs, excited to greet the girls. As soon she saw Harry though, her face turned as red as her hair and she gasped.

Fred whispered to the girls, “She’s been like this ever since he got here.”

“I think it’s cute,” Lucy whispered in response then greeted Ginny with a hug.

“You’ll be sharing a room with me!” Ginny beamed at them excitedly.

“As long as there’s no snakes that’s okay with me!” Lucy said.

Molly walked in and smiled. “Ginny dear, why don’t you show the girls to your room?”

She nodded and started to lead the way. Fred and George gave the girls their bags and teased Ron for being afraid of the snake.

Ginny’s room was cute, not too big and not too small. There was a bed, which was obviously Ginny’s, and two empty cots for the girls to sleep in.

“Fred and George were talking about you guys all summer,” she said as she sat on her bed.

Lucy laughed. “Not surprised, they’re obsessed with us.”

“But who could blame them, we’re so fascinating. I would be obsessed with us too,” Maya joked and they all laughed.

They never got to have a proper conversation with Ginny, until today and they found they have a lot in common. They talked for so long, they hadn’t noticed it had gotten dark outside until George came in and told them dinner was ready. They all got up to leave, but Maya accidentally bumped into Ginny’s dresser as she left.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar tug in her gut and a swarm of visions came into her sight.

She saw Ginny writing in a diary, a flooded bathroom, and the weirdest of all, Mrs. Norris the cat dead (or at least she assumed dead) in a corridor.

Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back before she could see more. Once her vision was less fuzzy, she noticed it was George there.

“Alright, Frances?” He asked, with a worried expression.

She nodded slowly. The visions hadn’t happened since last year, after the Quirrell incident.

“I-I’m good. Don’t worry, let’s eat dinner.”

George looked at her, not believing a word she said. “You saw something, didn’t you?”

Maya sighed. “Yeah, but I didn’t see anything too bad this time.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“The only alarming thing I saw was potentially Mrs. Norris’s corpse,” she said casually.

“So, you saw a dead cat’s corpse, and you’re…fine?”

“ _Potential_ corpse,” she corrected him.

“A potential corpse is just as terrifying as an actual corpse,” George pointed out.

She walked past him to get to dinner, ready to be done with the conversation, but he grabbed her arm again.

“Wait, Frances, I wanted to talk to you,” he said.

‘Crap,’ she thought to herself. She knew it was only a matter of time until someone brought up her parents. She didn’t want anyone’s sympathy and she especially didn’t want George feeling bad for her.

“Maybe later, I’m starving right now,” she said and went downstairs for dinner.

She sat next to Lucy and Harry, but barely touched her food. She realized she spent most of the day talking with Ginny and Lucy, she didn’t spend much time worrying about her mom, causing her to feel too guilty to eat. The whole time she knew George was watching her, but she ignored him. She smiled when people talked to her, but that’s as far as her encounters went.

After dinner, she offered to help Molly with the dishes, but she refused to let her help. She didn’t feel up to hanging out with everyone, so she said she felt jet lagged (which wasn’t a complete lie, she was exhausted) and said good night to everyone. Lucy followed as well, also feeling exhausted.

“Are you okay?” Lucy asked while they were putting on pajamas.

“I hate that question,” Maya said, then felt bad. “Sorry, yeah I’m good. Just a bit worried.”

“Don’t worry too much. Our moms are probably somewhere in London getting drunk together,” Lucy chuckled.

Maya snorted. “You’re probably right. I hope we end up like them one day.”

“Drunk in a city we barely know?”

“Yeah, seems fulfilling,” she said, climbing into her cot.

“Alright, but I get to choose the first city,” Lucy commented.

Maya chuckled. “Good night, Lucy.”

“Good night.”

-

She was so tired from the plane; she fell asleep in less than ten minutes and had a dreamless sleep. The way she woke up, however, was not as peaceful.

Someone was shaking her vigorously and hissing her name.

“Maya, Maya, Maya, Frances, Frances, Psst Maya,” they whispered nonstop.

She groaned and squinted her eyes and saw George squatting next to her cot, while Lucy and Ginny remained asleep.

“George Weasley I am giving you ten seconds to run before I try to kill you for waking me up,” she threatened.

“Get up,” he continued, ignoring her very real threat.

“I’m thinking of seven different ways to kill you right now.”

“Come on, I wanna talk to you.”

“Try again at a reasonable hour,” she rolled over, her back faced to him.

“Well I tried that, but you avoided me during and after dinner then went straight to bed. You know Lucy wished me and Fred good night, but you just ignored us. I’d also like to mention I still didn’t get a hug.” George complained.

She started to doze off again. “Mmph okay, hug you later.”

George grabbed her shoulders and shook her again.

“What part of ‘I’m going to kill you’ do you not understand?”

“Come on, I couldn’t sleep because I’m worried about you.” No response. “I also stole some of mum’s cookies.”

That caught Maya’s attention. “Okay, I’m up.”

She got up and wrapped her blanket around her and put on her slippers. She was about to leave the room when something caught George’s eye.

He pointed at her hot pink almond shaped pillow. “What’s that?” He asked.

“It’s me and Lucy’s heart pillow. She has the other half, it says ‘BFF’,” she answered.

“What’s a…” he used finger quotes, “BFF?”

“It stands for ‘Best Friends Forever’, we got it when we were like nine. Now come on, I want cookies.”

They quietly walked down to the kitchen so they could grab a plate for their cookies, then George took her outside.

“It’s gonna be cold,” Maya whined.

“It’s August and you have your blanket, c’mon.”

They sat under a tree eating cookies in silence. Maya was wrapped in her blanket and forced her eyes to stay open.

They were silent for a few minutes until George finally spoke.

“I’m sorry about your parents.”

She cringed. “Thanks, but I don’t need to hear it.” She realized that may come off as rude and added, “I appreciate it, I just don’t need you to feel bad for me. It’s is what it is.”

“I know, but it sucks,” he pointed out.

Maya laughed. “Well yeah, but life sucks, so I’m used to it.”

“Life doesn’t suck!” George cried. “Well…not all the time at least. You did almost die last year, that sucked.”

“Nah, that was pretty fun. Adds a fun twist to the school year,” Maya joked. That joke earned a cookie tossed at her head.

“I know what you’re doing, I do it too,” he stated.

“Doing what?”

“Making jokes so you can change the topic. I’m trying to have a serious conversation for once in my life.” He said, tone light, but meaning what he said.

“I don’t make jokes to change the topic,” she mumbled.

“I can tell it’s bothering you and you don’t need to tell me. But you can if you want,” he looked at her sincerely.

Maya felt uncomfortable. Not because of George, his sentiment was sweet, but she hated talking about her issues. It made her feel weak and vulnerable, and to her that is the worst feeling in the world. That’s part of the reason why she smiled so much in front of her mom, so she knew or at least _thought_ she was strong.

Yet, despite feeling uncomfortable, she wanted to tell George. She knew she could trust him, and she knew he cared, but she was terrified. She wanted to open her mouth and tell him all of her fears and worries, so she could finally get it all out. But every time she opened her mouth, her voice got caught in her throat.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. I just wanted to let you know that I’m here. I’ll let you go back to sleep,” George said then started packing up the cookie container.

“No!” She grabbed his wrist, making him pause. “I-I want to tell you, just give me a second.”

George nodded as she took a deep breath.

‘Here goes nothing,’ she thought.

“I’m worried about my mom. Terrified, actually. She’s strong, I know that, but a part of me is still terrified of her being alone. When it first happened, she and I barely left the house. She has her sister, my aunt, but I don’t know if that will be enough. Someone has to smile for her or give her a reason to smile and I begged her to let me stay, but she refused.” A tear started to slip, and she cursed herself for it. “Shit, sorry this is gross.” She wiped away the tears and the snot.

George sat there for a moment then laughed. Maya turned to look at him, any feeling of sadness being replaced by pure anger.

“What the hell is so funny?” She spat.

Which only made him laugh harder.

‘What the hell is wrong with him?’ she yelled in her head. ‘He practically _begs_ me to open up and when I do, he just laughs? What kind of sick joke is this?!”

Rage overtook her, and she slapped him. Which of course made him laugh even harder.

“That’s it, I’m leaving,” she started to get up, but this time he took her wrist.

“I’ve just never…” he continued to laugh, “I’ve never heard you swear before.”

She glared at him. “I hate you, like I actually hate you.”

He tried not to laugh again, but every time he calmed down it just started all over again. Maya tried to stay mad, she really did. But when watching George Weasley laugh and snort for five minutes, it becomes nearly impossible and she started to chuckle as well.

After another five minutes passed, he finally calmed down and grabbed another cookie.

“You know, Lucy wrote to me and Fred over the summer. She kept us updated,” he said once he was fully calm.

“Yeah, I figured she would. I’m sorry I stopped writing. I wanted to write more, but I got too overwhelmed.”

“We understood. But she told me you were worried about your mom and that you didn’t want to come back to Hogwarts like you just said. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

She tilted her head. “I’m already here, so I’m obviously going back to school. Why would you want to talk to be about that?”

He shook his head. “After Lucy told me this I figured even if you did come back, you would be too worried about your mom that you wouldn’t be able to focus in classes. Not that classes are that important, but I also would want your full attention when pulling pranks otherwise it’s not as fun.”

“Okay…”

“So, I talked about it with my mum and suggested that your mum stay’s here at the burrow for a while instead of going back home alone,” he finished proudly.

Maya stared at him completely shocked. “What?!”

“It would just be for a bit, until she feels ready to go home. My dad was really excited, you know, to have a muggle in the house. Your mum has already agreed.”

In an instant she was hugging George. She practically threw herself on top of him, arms around his neck, she was just so happy. He was shocked by the sudden impact but laughed and hugged her back.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” She sang.

His cheeks became warm. “Yeah, no problem. But this means no distractions when we prank Malfoy.”

She pulled away; her arms still wrapped around his neck. “Right, no distractions. From now on, you have my full attention. Unless it’s before nine am, then I can’t promise anything.” Then she hugged him again.

She eventually let go and settled down back to where she was originally sitting. For the first time in months she felt hopeful and calm. She rested her head on George’s shoulder and sighed peacefully. They watched the sunrise and at some point, they both fell asleep. They didn’t wake up till Fred gracefully dumped water on them.

-

That Wednesday, Molly woke everyone up early to meet Hermione in Diagon Alley. Maya was excited to go and see her friend, right about until she found out how they planned on getting there.

Harry, Lucy, and Maya stared at the fireplace both confused and terrified as Molly tried explaining Floo powder.

Molly was talking about how she was worried about neither of them using Floo powder before, when Fred volunteered to go first.

“They’ll be all right, mum. Just watched us first,” he said to all three of them.

Then he took a pinch of the weirdly glittering powder out of the flowerpot, stepped up to the fire, and threw the powder into the flames.

In an instant, the flames turned an emerald green and rose much higher than Fred. He stepped into it then yelled, “Diagon Alley!” and vanished.

All three of them stared, matching expressions of fear on each of their faces.

“So, I’m just supposed to walk into the fire?” Lucy asked while George grabbed powder out of the pot.

“You must speak clearly, dear,” Mrs. Weasley told them. “And be sure to get out at the right grate…”

“The right what?” Harry asked nervously as George vanished as well.

“Well, there are an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know, but as long as you’ve spoken clearly –”

“They’ll be fine, Molly, don’t fuss,” said Mr. Weasley, helping himself to Floo powder, too.

“But, dear, if they got lost, how would we ever explain to their families?” Molly argued.

“They wouldn’t mind,” Harry reassured her. “Dudley would think it was a brilliant joke if I got lost up a chimney, don’t worry about that.”

Lucy and Maya looked at Harry, they seemed to be the only one’s shocked at what he said.

“What do you mean they wouldn’t care?” Lucy gasped.

Maya didn’t even say anything she just hugged Harry tightly.

He laughed. “It’s fine, really don’t worry about me. I’ll go first.”

“Well…all right…you go after Arthur,” said Mrs. Weasley. “Now, when you get into the fire, say where you’re going –”

Everyone started to give several different pieces of advice, “Elbows tucked in!” “Eyes shut!” “Don’t fidget!” which only added more fear.

“Wait until you see Fred and George,” Molly said at last as Harry grabbed a pinch of the Floo powder.

They watched as he scattered it into the flames and stepped forward. He opened his mouth to speak but stuttered.

“D-Dia-gon Alley,” he coughed.

Then he disappeared.

“Well that can’t be good…” Maya said.

Molly put her hands to her cheeks. “Oh dear…well we can’t think negatively. I’m sure he’s fine,” she said, but didn’t sound totally convinced. “Which one of you wants to go next?” She asked looking at Lucy and Maya.

Maya shoved Lucy up front, volunteering her friend.

“I hate you,” her friend whispered and grabbed some powder. She threw the powder into the flames and stepped in carefully. Careful not to make Harry’s mistake, she carefully spoke, “Diagon Alley!” And she vanished.

Maya started bouncing nervously. “Okay, I can do it. She did it, so I can do this,” she said, grabbing a handful of the powder. “Just step into the weird green fire and say where you wanna go. Easy…” She threw the powder in and stepped into the flames. She scrunched up her face as the heat got near and shouted, “Diagon Alley!”

It took every fiber of her being not to scream bloody murder. She was spinning so fast she felt her breakfast threatening to come back up. In an instant, she was back in the fresh air.

Her landing, though, was anything but graceful. She fell right on top of Lucy.

“You made it!” Fred yelled, laughing as the girls lay on the ground.

“I’m gonna be sick…” Lucy muttered.

Both the twins offered a hand to help them up.

“Hold on...give me a second to swallow my vomit,” Maya said, rubbing her temples.

“Might want to move before Ron comes and lands on you,” George suggested.

Both girls hurriedly grabbed their hands and got up before anyone else could fall on them.

“I hated every second of that,” Lucy said.

“Wait, where’s Harry?” Maya asked, realizing he wasn’t there.

“Was he supposed to be here by now?” George asked.

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows. “He was supposed to be after me…”

“Well he did stutter when saying his location,” Lucy said. “But he wasn’t too far off, he should be at least close.”

Ron and Percy came out next and they all waited for any signs of Harry. When Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, came out Molly started searching frantically for him.

They searched around the streets for about ten minutes until Lucy caught sight of Hagrid.

“Look! Over there!” She pointed.

They found Hagrid, Hermione, and Harry standing together and they sprinted.

“Harry,” Mr. Weasley panted. “We _hoped_ you’d only gone one grate too far…Molly’s frantic – she’s coming now.”

“Where did you come out?” Ron asked.

“Knockturn Alley,” Hagrid answered grimly.

“ _Excellent!_ ” Fred and George said together.

“We’ve never been allowed in,” said Ron enviously.

“I should ruddy well think not,” growled Hagrid.

Mrs. Weasley now appeared and frantically checked Harry, to make sure he was ok. While they were distracted Maya asked Fred and George a question.

“What’s Knockturn Alley?”

Fred gave a mischievous smile. “The dodgy side of Diagon Alley. We’ve been dying to check it out for years, but mum never let us.”

This spiked both Maya and Lucy’s interest.

“Why is it dodgy? Is it dangerous?” Lucy asked.

“Hopefully,” Fred winked.

Hagrid left and everyone started to walk to Gringotts. As they were climbing the steps Harry told them they saw Malfoy and his father in Borgin and Burkes. Maya fake gagged at the thought of Malfoy.

“Man, Harry I’m so sorry you had to suffer,” she said. “I hope his face didn’t cause you to go blind or anything.” Everyone laughed.

Then she remembered how he was technically the one who saved her last year, and she felt bad.

Lucy and Maya split up with the group when they all went to their vaults to grab money. Instead the girls stayed with Hermione and her parents, to exchange the muggle money their parents gave them for wizard currency.

When they all came back, everyone needed to do their own thing. Molly suggested they all meet back at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy their books. The twins found Lee Jordan and they dragged Maya and Lucy to the nearest joke shop.

“Are we seriously going to spend an entire hour here?” Lucy complained, Maya nodded in agreement.

“We gotta stock up for the school year!” Fred explained as if it was obvious.

They explored the store and watched as Fred and George carefully examined each product, making sure it would cause enough trouble.

Maya and Lucy stayed behind, not as eager as the three boys were.

“We should get them a whoopie cushion,” Maya suggested to Lucy.

She laughed. “Yeah, or one of those fake gum packets that shocks you.”

“This stuff is too intricate. What ever happened to the old fashion pranks, like spraying someone with _silly string_.”

Lucy gasped. “Maya…what if we asked our moms to buy stuff like that while they’re in London. We can try and prank them with our muggle products! They’ll be so confused!”

Maya smiled at the idea of placing a whoopie cushion under their seats in the Great Hall.

“Lucy, your brain is a gift to this world.”

Lucy smiled. “I know.”

They ran into Harry at one point and they asked if they could borrow Hedwig to write a note to their parents. They explained their idea to the trio and both Hermione and Harry thought it was brilliant. Ron on the other hand, warned them.

“Careful, as soon as you prank them, they’ll get their revenge.”

Maya scoffed. “It’ll be fine, we can handle whatever they throw at us.”

Ron shook his head and laughed. “You two have no idea what’s coming to you.”

After an hour they all met at Flourish and Blotts like they promised, and the whole place was packed. The crowd was mostly woman close to Mrs. Weasley’s age, and they all seemed excited.

“What’s going on?” Maya asked.

“Did you see the sign outside? We get to meet Gilderoy Lockhart!” Hermione gushed.

“You mean the dude who wrote our textbooks?” Maya asked.

“He’s a really interesting man, Maya! He went on countless adventures and is such a hero,” said Hermione dreamily.

“Uh, my bad…” Maya said awkwardly.

They each grabbed a copy of the book they needed, then walked up to where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing with Hermione’s parents.

“Oh, there you are, good,” said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. “We’ll be able to see him in a minute…”

Gilderoy Lockhart slowly came into view. He had golden locks and a dazzling smile with bright white teeth. He wore robes that perfectly matched the blue shade of his eyes and even though he looked to be middle aged, he was definitely a handsome man.

“Oh damn,” Lucy muttered. “That is one sexy man.”

“Suddenly I wish I was my mom’s age,” Maya agreed. Hermione nodded along with them, all three of them with a new crush.

“He’s like fifty!” Fred yelled at them.

“Fifty and sexy,” Lucy replied making both Fred and George gag.

Ron complained as a photographer from the Daily Prophet stepped on his foot.

Hearing Ron’s voice, Lockhart turns around and then saw both Harry and Maya and gasped. He quickly leapt to his feet and shouted, “It _can’t_ be…Harry Potter _and_ Maya Frances?”

Her and Harry backed up trying to hide, but the crowd parted and whispered excitedly. Lockhart quickly dived forward and seized both their arms, pulling them to the front. The crowd burst into applause and the twins and Lucy were laughing hysterically. Both Maya’s and Harry’s faces turned red as the photographer took photos.

“Nice big smile, children,” said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. “Together, the three of us are worth the front page.”

Maya fought the urge to lift up her middle finger to pose for the camera. Instead she gave a big sarcastic smile with a thumbs up, just to make her friends laugh harder. Harry, however, was still too shocked to do anything.

When Lockhart finally released his grip on them, they both tried walking back to the Weasleys, but he threw an arm around them instead.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said loudly, waving for quiet. “What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I’ve been sitting on for some time!”

Maya tried stepping away again, but he gripped tighter.

“When these two young kids here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, they only wanted to buy my autobiography—”

“Well not exactly,” Maya muttered, but he spoke over her.

“Which I shall be happy to present to them now, free of charge—” The crowd applauded again. “They had _no idea_ ,” Lockhart continued, giving them both a little shake, “that they would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, _Magical Me_. These two and their schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!”

The whole crowd cheered while Harry and Maya looked at each other, both confused. By the time both Harry and Maya were released, they were each given a copy of the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Harry gave his to Ginny, knowing she would need it more than he would.

Out of nowhere, a familiar voice spoke.

“Bet you loved that, didn’t you, Potter?” Malfoy sneered, completely ignoring Maya. “ _Famous_ Harry Potter, can’t even go into a _bookstore_ without making the front page.”

“Leave him alone, he didn’t want all that!” For the first time, Ginny spoke in front of Harry, glaring at Malfoy. Maya and Harry were too shocked to say anything.

“Potter, you’ve got yourself a _girlfriend_!” Malfoy laughed.

Maya hated his stupid cocky laugh and wanted nothing more than to rip that smile right off his face.

“What? You jealous?” She asked.

Malfoy was caught off guard and went silent. His cheeks turning ever so slightly red.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” He spat.

Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both carrying a stack of books.

“Oh, it’s you,” said Ron, looking at Malfoy with disgust. “Bet you’re surprised to see Harry here, eh?”

“Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley,” he retorted. “I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those.”

Ron put his books in Ginny’s cauldron, and started toward Malfoy, but Hermione and Harry held him back. They did not, however, hold Maya back.

She did not want to deal with Malfoy this year. She wanted him to pay for what he said. She was angry at him, she was angry at her dad, and she was angry at everyone who kept feeling sorry for her. Maybe she shouldn’t have taken her anger out on the person who saved her last year, but in the moment she didn’t care.

Maya punched Malfoy in the face.

“Oh shit!” Fred yelled from behind his dad who was walking over to them.

Maya tried throwing another punch, but George grabbed her hand and held her back. She was too tiny compared to him to be released, but she kept kicking and squirming like a rabid twelve-year-old.

“Fred, George, take them outside,” Arthur said, trying to remain calm.

“Well, well, well – Arthur Weasley.” A new voice entered.

“Father! She hit me! I’m bleeding!” Malfoy yelled covering his nose.

Mr. Malfoy just gave him a passing glance and ignored him.

That glance Malfoy’s father gave his son is what made Maya stop fighting. She assumed he would yell at her or try to comfort his son. Why is he ignoring him?

She looked at Malfoy and noticed a new expression of hurt on his face. She didn’t want to feel sorry for him, he was an asshole.

“Let’s go,” she said to Fred, George, and Lucy, ignoring the conversation going on between Lucius and Arthur.

As they turned around to leave there was a sudden thud behind them, making them turn back around.

What they saw was not what Maya expected at all.

Arthur Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy books crashed on both their heads. There was a yell, “Get him, Dad!” from one of the twins. Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, “No, Arthur, no!”; the crowd was attempting to back away from the fight, but only managed to knock over more shelves. The poor assistant was trying to stop them.

The fight didn’t break up until Hagrid appeared and pulled them apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had a bruised eye. He was holding one of Ginny’s books and threw it back at her.

“Here, girl – take your book – it’s the best your father can give you,” he pulled himself out of Hagrid’s grip then grabbed Draco and left the store, both Malfoy’s injured.

As they left the store Mrs. Weasley was fuming.

“A _fine_ example to set for your children… _brawling_ in public,” she looked at Maya, “I’m not mad at you dear, don’t worry.” She continued to yell at her husband.

“That was bloody amazing, Frances!” Ron boasted.

“Right in the nose!” Harry laughed.

She laughed. “Thanks, but my hand hurts a ton now. Also don’t tell my mom.”

“Sorry, but mum will probably send her a letter right away,” Fred said.

“Great, if you get in trouble, so do I,” Lucy groaned.

“Is your hand okay?” George asked abruptly.

Maya stretched her hand and lightly wiggled her fingers.

“I can move it, it just hurts a little,” she said.

“I’m sure mum has some sort of potion that can help,” George said. “It was a good punch though, sorry I held you back. I saw his dad and thought he would hex you or something.”

She frowned, remembering how Malfoy’s dad pretty much ignored his son.

“It’s probably a good thing you did anyways. I probably would still be there punching him now,” she teased.

They said goodbye to the Grangers at the Leaky Cauldron and Floo powdered back to the Burrow. Everyone had their supplies and after a long day, everyone wanted to rest.

-

A week had passed, and everyone was running around the Burrow packing their things to go back to school.

Lucy looked at the car from outside the twin’s window as they packed.

“How are we all gonna fit in the car?” She asked, sitting next to Maya on the floor.

“I’ll sit on your lap,” Fred joked, struggling to close his trunk.

“I think you’d kill me if you did that,” retorted Lucy.

“Are you calling me fat?” He gasped.

“No…just dense.”

Maya and George laughed as Fred threw his pillow at Lucy.

Once they were all packed, they went outside and squeezed in the car. It wasn’t too much of a squeeze as long as no one tried to move. Unfortunately for them, they moved three times.

The first time, George had forgotten his fireworks that he purchased. Maya called him a dumbass. The second time, Fred forgot his broom. Maya _and_ Lucy called him a dumbass. The third time, Ginny had forgotten her diary. Maya and Lucy helped her look for it.

Now they were finally on their way to the station, but they were running late, and everyone was feeling anxious. Maya was worried she wouldn’t have enough time to say goodbye to her mom.

They arrived, running through the station.

“Percy first,” said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock, showing they only had five minutes to run through the barrier.

Percy ran through, then Arthur, then Fred and George.

Maya and Lucy decided to run together to save time and they found their moms instantly.

Maya hugged her mom in record time.

“George told me you’re staying! I’m so glad! I’ll write to you whenever I can. Also, Mrs. Weasley’s cooking is so good, you’ll want to stay forever. Don’t worry, your cooking is still the best,” she rambled excitedly.

Her mom laughed at her daughter’s excitement. “I’m glad you had fun. I did hear that you punched someone though?”

Maya stiffened. “Okay, that may or may not be true. If it _is_ true just know that I had a really good reason to!”

“Relax, I’m not mad. I’ve punched people at your age too,” her mom smiled.

“I –” Maya was shocked. “What?”

“I don’t have time to explain that now.” Her mom reached into her purse and took out a plastic bag filled with a bunch of things. “We have all the supplies you two asked for. Whoopie cushions, gum zapper, and a lot of silly string.”

Both of the girls looked in the bag excitedly then put it in Lucy’s trunk

“Thank you!” They both said.

The train was about to leave, so they had to say goodbye quickly.

Maya hugged her mom tightly one last time and whispered a quick “I love you,” before running onto the train.

They got onto the train with the twins and sat in a compartment together with Lee Jordan as well.

“Frances, is it true you punched Malfoy in the face?” Lee asked.

“Yeah, but that was nothing compared to Mr. Weasley. He fully tackled Malfoy’s dad!” She responded.

They were all talking about the summers when Hermione came and knocked on their compartment.

“Hey, Hermione! What’s up?” Lucy asked.

Hermione looked worried. “Have any of you seen Harry or Ron? I’ve checked almost every compartment and can’t find them…”

They all looked at each other.

“They were the last to run through the barrier…” Maya said.

“Did they run through?” Lucy asked. “Now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t actually remember seeing them.”

Hermione sighed. “Well, let’s hope they turn up. I’m going to sit with Neville and take a break. I’ll see you later.”

“Uh oh…” Maya said.

-

Ron and Harry still weren’t there during the welcome feast. Rumors started to spread that they drove a flying car.

Malfoy kept gloating about the fact that they’ll be expelled, and Maya was just about ready to punch him again.

-

The next morning, Maya and Lucy planned on sitting at the Gryffindor table for two reasons.

One: To see Ron and Harry and make sure they weren’t actually expelled.

Two: To set up whoopie cushions that they charmed to be invisible and get the twins to sit on them.

They raced down the Great Hall early, only a few students and a few professors already there. Maya noticed Malfoy was sitting alone at the Slytherin table. He was reading a letter and looked what seemed to be upset, not that Maya cared, because she didn’t. Malfoy was an asshole and she didn’t care if he was sad.

Lucy put the whoopie cushions in Fred and George’s usual spot, then sat down across from them.

After a few minutes, more students piled in, Fred and George included. Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat down first and both Lucy and Maya were relieved to see the two boys alive and not expelled.

Fred and George took their seats and Lucy moved her wand under the table, so she could amplify the sound. Fred sat down first and suddenly the room blared a loud _PFFFFFT_ sound.

Fred sat up immediately, looking around confused, and the whole Gryffindor table was laughing.

“Merlin, Freddie I think you should stay away from the bacon,” George teased as he sat down.

_“PFFFFFFFT”_

He jumped up as well, his face turning as red as Fred’s was.

Maya and Lucy were crying, tears of laughter were streaming down their faces. They didn’t actually think it would work.

The invisibility charm wore off and the twins looked at what made the noise.

“What the bloody hell is this?” Fred roared.

Lucy could barely keep it together. “It’s a whoopie cushion! A muggle product!”

“Did you two do this?” George asked, shocked.

They nodded and kept laughing and both received high fives from Lee Jordan.

Fred finally sat back down. “Oh, you’re going to regret that.” He was smiling though.

George sat down as well. “You two saw all the products we stocked up on. I’d sleep with one eye open if I were you.”

Maya rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m so scared!”

All of a sudden, Ron’s owl Errol collapsed onto the table carrying a letter.

“Oh, no –” Ron gasped.

“It’s alright, he’s still alive,” Hermione said, checking for a pulse.

“It’s not that – it’s _that_.”

Ron pointed at the red envelope. To Maya it looked normal, but Ron and Neville looked at it fearfully.

“What’s the matter?” Harry asked.

“She’s – she’s sent me a Howler,” said Ron faintly.

“You’d better open it, Ron,” said Neville in a timid whisper. “It’ll be worse if you don’t. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and” – he gulped – “it was horrible.”

“What’s a Howler,” Harry asked.

Ron didn’t answer, he was too stressed about the letter which had started to smoke.

“Open it,” Neville urged. “It’ll all be over in a few minutes…”

With shaky hands, Ron slowly started to open the letter. Neville put his fingers in his ears and in just a few seconds, Maya understood why. A roar of sound filled the Great Hall, making the whoopie cushions seem peaceful in comparison.

Mrs. Weasley’s voice screamed at Ron, yelling at him for tall the trouble he caused. By the time it finally ended, Ron’s face was as red as his hair.

-

A few days had passed, and Maya soon discovered she did not enjoy Lockhart’s class.

Okay, maybe she _did_ like to watch him teach because he was undeniably attractive, but the class itself sucked. She barely learned anything and all he did was gloat about himself.

The twins had already gotten their revenge on the girls for their small prank. The next day the girl’s skirts were stuck to their seats during lunch and had to wait for Flitwick to set them free. They started pranking each other with small pranks throughout the week, and Maya and Lucy realized what Ron had meant when he said not to mess with them. But nevertheless, the girls refused to lose and continued.

On Thursday night, Maya was sitting at the Slytherin table for dinner. She was talking to Daphne about some of her favorite muggle movies, when a letter was dropped in front of her.

She looked confused, no one usually gets letters this late. She checked to see who it was from and saw her mom’s handwriting.

“Oh God…” she whispered to herself.

Daphne started talking to another Slytherin while Maya slowly opened the letter.

“ _Dear Maya,_

_Hi honey! Hope all is well at school! You were right, Molly’s cooking is fantastic!_

_I got news back from the court about custody. I know we had discussed earlier about your plans on seeing your father and I remember what you had said about wanting to stay with me. Luckily, the court allowed it and you can still stay home with me, whenever you come home for breaks. Your father, however, still would like to see you._

_I know what you told me, and I know you’re worried about seeing him, but I think it’s good for you to keep him in your life. Also, due to the fact that you are under the age of 18, you still legally have to see him. He requested that whenever you come home, you have dinner with him Tuesday nights, and spend every other weekend with him. I’m sorry, I tried as best as I could, but this was the best I could get from your father. Your brothers will not be seeing him, I think Louis had stopped communicating with him in general._

_Don’t stress about it too much, dear. You won’t have to worry about this till the holidays._

_XOXO Love,_

_Mom”_

She felt like she was going to be sick.

“I’ll be back,” she said silently to Daphne then ran out of the Great Hall.

‘I can’t cry here,’ she began to think to herself. She tried looking for a quiet spot to cry, but the tears were coming faster than she anticipated. She found an empty corridor and sat on the floor underneath a strange painting of some sort of queen.

She hugged her knees to her chest and broke down. Everything was coming out at once and she couldn’t control herself.

Someone cleared their throat and she choked. She looked up and saw an awkward Malfoy standing there.

“What the fuck do you want?” She asked angrily. “If you came here to make fun of me, I don’t want to here it. Go be a dick somewhere else.”

“No, I actually just wanted to –”

“Just shut up!” She yelled and put her head on her knees, praying he would leave.

Instead, Malfoy walked closer and slowly and awkwardly sat next to her.

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

He looked at his feet. “Um, well I saw you run out and no one else followed you.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, I didn’t want anyone to.”

“I figured, I usually wouldn’t either. But I also hate being alone, so I followed anyways…” he explained himself. “You know what, you’re right. This is weird I should go.”

Maya looked at him and thought about how hurt he looked when his father ignored him. She remembered just a few days ago when he was alone at the Slytherin table. Lastly, she thought about how he saved her last year and even sent her flowers.

“Wait,” she put her hand on his shoulder. “You apologized to me last year and I never thanked you for making sure I didn’t die.”

His lips quirked up in an attempt to smile. “Well it wouldn’t look good if anyone found out I just left you to die.”

“Yeah, that would be suspicious,” she laughed. “What did you mean when you said, ‘I wouldn’t either’?”

Whatever smile that was on his face, disappeared in an instant. “I just…I get not liking to cry in front of other people. It’s awkward.”

“And embarrassing,” Maya added.

“Yeah that too, really embarrassing,” he thought for a minute then continued. “Father didn’t like when I cried as a child. Always told me it was weak so since I was young, if I needed to cry – not that that was often, I’d like to mention, I don’t often cry. I am strong…but um when I did, I hid in my room.”

“No offense, but your dad seems like a dick. I can see where you get it from.”

To her surprise, Malfoy laughed. “You’re not wrong. I hadn’t realized how bad he was until recently, actually.”

Maya looked at him with amusement. “Well, guess we both have that in common. Yay! Daddy issues!”

Malfoy scrunched his face. “No, I do not have ‘daddy issues’, Malfoy’s don’t have issues. My dad is just…strict.”

Maya laughed. “No dude, he’s just a manipulative asshole. You got daddy issues.”

“Oh Merlin…I do, don’t I?”

This was weird…this whole situation was weird. Maya wasn’t even sure if she could trust Malfoy. After last year, she shouldn’t be anywhere near him, but she felt oddly comfortable.

“Do um…do you want to talk about it?” Malfoy asked awkwardly.

“Talk about what?” She asked.

“Whatever it was you were crying about.”

“Oh God…I-I don’t know. I don’t really like to talk about serious things. I just cry and move on…” Maya said awkwardly.

“Ok well, I just told you I had ‘daddy issues’ so I feel like I deserve _something_ ,” Malfoy reasoned.

Maya sighed. “I’d just like to point out that you don’t deserve anything from me. You called me a foul word multiple times last year and constantly harassed my friends.” She looked at Malfoy who, to her surprise, looked guilty. “But…I have a feeling you won’t leave me alone until I say something because I know I would do the same.”

Malfoy nodded.

“I got a letter from my mom. My parents split up this summer and we were dealing with legal issues. Like who am I going to live with and all that. I hoped I wouldn’t have to see my dad again, but…I don’t actually get a choice. I’m under the legal age and both my parents think ‘it will be good for me’,” Maya admitted, the tears starting to make a comeback.

“That’s ridiculous! Your parents don’t know what’s good for you, _you_ do!” Malfoy argued.

She couldn’t believe that Draco Malfoy was being so supportive right now. She was honestly kind of terrified.

“I know, but if I try to say that, it could make things harder for my mom. It’s best if I just suck it up for a few years.”

“I know how you feel. My father…my father will make me do things or act a certain way. I didn’t know till recently how bad it was, but…I do it all for my mother. If I keep a good image, my mother remains happy. That’s all I want,” Malfoy said.

Maya swallowed all of her fears and held his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Looks like we both don’t get any choices in our lives, huh?” She joked.

Draco smiled again. “Guess not.”

“Ugh, this is revolting!” A woman’s voice spoke from above them causing both of them to jump.

Maya looked up and saw the queen in the painting looking at them.

“What?” Maya asked her.

“You two are acting all weepy in public, I simply cannot stand it!” The painting shrieked. “Come inside and wipe away the tears before you come back out.”

Draco and Maya stood up and stared at the queen for a good two minutes.

“Are we waiting for something? I’m confused, this painting is ridiculous,” Draco said, and Maya elbowed him.

“Did you expect me to just open up for you?” The queen scoffed. “I’m royalty, bow before me and I’ll let you in. Except for you, young girl. The ladies curtsey.”

Maya and Draco looked at each other and shrugged. They bowed and curtsied, and the painting swung open. The two gasped when they stepped inside.

Inside there was a couch, a small table, an old record player with a few records nearby, and an old looking muggle TV. It was all dusty and filled with cobwebs, as if the room hadn’t been touched in years. There were a few lanterns and Maya found a box of matches near the couch and lit them, so they had proper lighting.

“What is this room?” Draco asked.

“I don’t know. Looks like it hadn’t been touched in years.” Maya brought one of the lanterns to the back wall and saw some scratches. “Hey, Draco! Look at this! I think students used to hang out here. They signed their names on the wall!”

Draco carefully walked over, gagging at all of the cobwebs. “Those aren’t names, I would hope they’re nicknames, otherwise their parents are awful at naming children.”

Maya read it out loud. “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Those are the names on the twin’s map!”

“The what?” Draco asked.

“Not important,” Maya said. “This must have been where they hung out! I don’t think anyone has been here since.”

“Well it could sure use some cleaning…” Draco suggested.

Maya smiled a mischievous smile at him. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Draco shuddered. “Merlin I probably am…what’s wrong with me?”

“We’re reclaiming this room!” Maya shouted. “We are now the proud owners of this room and tonight she will be cleaned!”

“ _She_?”

“Yeah, the room’s a woman. Got a problem with that?” Maya threatened.

Draco threw his hands up in defense. “No! No problem! But I don’t actually clean…”

Maya found two brooms under the couch and threw one at him.

“Well you do now!”

And together they cleaned their new room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally ignored all my work I needed to do because I wanted to write instead. I might cry after this IDK! Anyways, enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6: Year 2- Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She grabbed the old marker that was sitting on the small table and then pushed the table towards the door.  
> “What are you doing?” Draco asked.  
> “You’ll see,” Maya responded, going on her tippy toes as she wrote above the door.  
> When she finished it read, “The Room of Choices”.  
> “Taa-daa!” She yelled as she jumped down from the table.  
> Draco snorted. “What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?”  
> She pushed the table back to its original place and swung an arm around his shoulder.  
> “This, my new friend, is the Room of Choices,” she said as if it were obvious. “Outside these doors, we don’t get much of a say in our lives, but inside…inside we are in total and complete control.”  
> “That’s stupid,” Draco said, trying to hide his obvious smile.  
> -  
> Maya fights with Lucy and the twins, Draco is a shockingly good friend, and the Chamber of Secrets has officially been open. Also Cedric makes a special guest appearance!

Chapter 6

Draco and Maya cleaned for hours.

Maya put one of the old vinyl on the record player, and the two went into full cleaning mode. By the time they finished, Maya wanted to add one last final touch.

She grabbed the old marker that was sitting on the small table and then pushed the table towards the door.

“What are you doing?” Malfoy asked.

“You’ll see,” Maya responded, going on her tippy toes as she wrote above the door.

When she finished it read, “ _The Room of Choices_ ”.

“Taa-daa!” She yelled as she jumped down from the table.

Draco snorted. “What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?”

She pushed the table back to its original place and swung an arm around his shoulder.

“This, my new friend, is the Room of Choices,” she said as if it were obvious. “Outside these doors, we don’t get much of a say in our lives, but inside…inside we are in total and complete control.”

“That’s stupid,” Draco said, trying to hide his obvious smile.

Maya laughed then looked at the clock on the wall.

“Oh crap! It’s one in the morning!” She yelled.

The two quickly grabbed their robes which they took off at some point while cleaning.

Once they gathered everything, Maya grabbed Draco’s hand and they sprinted out of the room and desperately tried to get to their common room without getting caught.

They didn’t get too far until a voice called from behind them.

“Maya?” Lucy called.

Maya cringed and slowly turned around.

“Hey! What’s up?” She tried to ask casually.

“She’s over here!” Lucy yelled behind her. “Jesus Christ! You scared the shit out of us, dude! Daphne said you and Malfoy ran off somewhere during dinner, and you hadn’t come back! We’ve been searching for hours!”

“Er…sorry,” Maya muttered.

Fred and George came sprinting into the corridor panting and out of breath. The second they saw Maya standing next to Draco, they pulled out their wands and pointed it at them.

“Leave her alone, Malfoy,” George threatened.

Maya stepped in front of Draco and held her free hand that wasn’t holding Draco’s out to stop the twins from firing any hexes.

“Stop!” She yelled.

Fred, George, and Lucy all looked at Maya as if she were crazy. Neither of the twins put their wands down.

“Maya, we don’t care if we get detention if that’s what you’re worried about,” Fred said.

George was about to agree, but then he saw how Maya was holding Draco’s hand.

“No way,” he looked like he wanted to be sick. “You’re not worried about us getting detention, you just don’t want us to hurt him, do you?”

“Is it such a crime if I don’t want you to hurt someone?” She asked.

“If it’s Malfoy, then yeah,” Fred answered.

“What the fuck were you two even doing?” George said, getting angrier by the minute.

“We were just talking—”

“Just talking?” George laughed. “Not only are you two holding hands, but both of you carrying your robes instead of _wearing_ them!”

Maya realized she was still holding Draco’s hand and released it. “George, relax. Nothing like that happened. Look, we talked things over and—”

This time, it was Lucy who laughed. “You talked things over with the wizard racist? What did he say ‘ _Oh I’m so sorry I called you a slur! Be my friend! I’m desperate!_ ’” She said in her best Draco impression.

Maya stared at her best friend in shock. Before she got to speak, Draco lost any small piece of patience he had left.

“I didn’t _need_ to ask, your friend figured out for herself who the better option is,” he spat.

Maya smacked his head. “Draco, don’t make it worse.” She turned to face the others. “I was upset over something and Draco was there to help me. We found out we had a lot more in common than we—”

“What could you possibly have in common with _him_?” Fred exclaimed.

“WILL YOU GUYS STOP CUTTING ME OFF!?” Maya shouted, losing her temper.

Everyone paused for a moment, George being the only one brave enough to speak after her outburst.

“What I don’t understand is why you would go to _Malfoy_ when you were upset. You could have gone to any of us. You could have gone to Harry! Or Ron! Merlin, you could have even gone to _Percy_!”

“Because I’m clearly the better company,” Draco sneered. “I was also the only one who had even _noticed_ she was upset. Some friends you lot are.”

Maya was over this conversation. She knew the twins and Lucy wouldn’t like the idea of her hanging out with Draco, but she planned on telling them on her own time. Maybe with some chocolate frogs to ease the tension. Clearly, it had not gone accordingly.

“It doesn’t matter why I went to Malf—Draco. What matters is that he was there, he helped, and we actually bonded. To answer your question Lucy, yes, he did apologize. Now, I would like to go to bed. I’m exhausted, we can finish this conversation tomorrow,” Maya tried desperately to end things before it got worse.

“No, I want to finish this now,” George argued. “Maya this isn’t some small debate about your favorite candy. You _betrayed_ us.”

“Oh please! You’re being dramatic! I didn’t betray anyone!” Maya scoffed.

“HE’S A BLOOD SUPREMACIST!” George shouted. “HE HATES YOU! HE HATES MY FAMILY!”

“HE APOLOGIGIZED! YOU DON’T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY!” Maya shouted back.

Fred and Lucy backed away from the two who continued to shout at each other for several minutes. Not one of them caring about getting caught.

Maya was in the middle of screaming at George when Draco placed a hand on her shoulder, making her stop.

“I don’t need you defending me,” he assured.

George gagged at the sight of them.

“Oh, real mature,” Maya spat.

Lucy finally found the courage to speak up again. “Maybe we should go to bed like Maya suggested. We’re all tired…”

“No!” George yelled. “I’m not going to bed until Maya makes a final decision!”

“A decision?” Maya asked. “What decision?”

“You either walk with us back to the kitchens, to explain everything and we’ll consider forgiving you,” George started. “Or you turn around and walk to your common room with Malfoy.”

“And what happens if I choose to walk with Draco?”

“Then we’re done. We don’t want to be friends with a traitor,” George answered, expression completely serious.

Maya’s eyes widened, tears threatening to pour out for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night. She looked at Fred for someone to reassure her and tell George he was being insane, but Fred looked just as angry as his brother. She then looked at Lucy, surely her best friend wouldn’t think this was right, Maya thought. However, Lucy just stared at her feet, refusing to look her friend in the eye.

Maya knew that after Draco had confessed to her it would be too cruel to leave him. She also knew that if she left him, his insults would only increase and would probably become more offensive. She wanted to help him, she hoped one day that he could get along with all of her friends.

Maya turned to look at Draco who was already staring at her. It was very hidden, but she could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of abandonment. With that, Maya grabbed his hand again and nodded. She turned back to look at the other three and spoke.

“I’m leaving with Draco. I’m not sorry because I know this is the right decision. I hope the three of you grow up to realize that I can still be your friend. For now, goodbye.”

She turned around to walk with Draco, but a familiar hand grabbed her wrist.

George pulled her close and stared at her. Both a look of anger and sadness on his face.

For a second, Maya felt hope that he didn’t mean what he said, but the hope was quickly diminished.

“You’re just like the rest of them. All Slytherins are bad, _especially_ you,” he spat then released her and walked away.

Fred, George, and Lucy left the corridor, leaving Maya and Draco alone.

Maya hadn’t even realized the tears on her cheeks until Draco walked over to her and wiped them away.

“Come on, let’s go to bed,” he spoke softly.

Maya sniffled and nodded then headed towards the Slytherin common room hand and hand.

-

Everything was weird after that night.

For starters, now that Maya was friends with Draco, Pansy Parkinson made it her top priority to be in Maya’s business at all times. Pansy would act all cute and pretend to be her “best friend”, but Maya and Daphne both knew she was just trying to find some dirt on Maya, so Draco wouldn’t want to be her friend anymore. Every time she thought she found something, she failed.

Daphne didn’t mind Maya and Draco’s new friendship. She was a little worried that Draco was up to something, but after seeing him tell Pansy to “shut up” after once again trying to expose Maya, she knew he could be trusted.

Maya had become closer with plenty Slytherins as well. She didn’t fully forgive them for the rude names they called her last year, but some of them she could trust. Blaise Zabini, for example, was easily forgiven after he told her embarrassing baby stories of Draco. They got along extremely well after that; Draco was not too fond of their friendship.

The environment of the Slytherin table had become extremely comfortable as well. Everyone was always speaking to someone, and Maya felt proud to have created such a positive change. She didn’t take all the credit; she was also proud of Draco who was attempting to be slightly more polite.

Not everything was great, however. The next morning, word had spread to the all the Gryffindors that Maya had betrayed them. She thought that maybe some of them wouldn’t be mad at her, she was wrong. Ron would glare at her when they had classes together and Hermione no longer wanted to study with her. Harry was different. He wanted to be mad at her, so he would give her a dirty look, but he also felt bad. He would often tell Ron to stop glaring.

Fred and George were not as sympathetic. There was a rumor spreading that Maya was a newly found “death eater” and she had a hunch on who would have started it. She had no idea what a death eater was until Draco explained to her that it was what You-Know-Who’s supporters were called. Maya didn’t understand how anyone could think she would be a death eater, as she was a muggle-born, but people continued to call her one anyways.

Lucy still sat next to her in classes, but they never spoke. Maya would try and say something, but Lucy would ask to use to bathroom or pretend to be taking notes. She never called her a death eater though, and she would never glare at her. Lucy hated all of this and wanted it to be over, but she couldn’t betray the twins. Malfoy was mean, and she didn’t want to be around him.

Maya and Draco continued to keep the Room of Choices a secret from everyone, including the other Slytherins. They typically met up there after dinner to have some alone time and to rant about the death eater nick names. Maya also found herself studying in their room throughout the day to ignore everyone’s glares.

Despite all the trouble Maya had with everyone else, she was making actual progress with Draco. The Saturday after the big fight happened, there was an early quidditch practice and Maya had told Draco she would sit and cheer for him as long as he would help her with her potions essay after, which he agreed to.

As they walked onto the pitch, they noticed the Gryffindor team already there and Maya immediately knew this would not go smoothly. The teams ended up arguing over who had the pitch for the day and Maya stood close enough to make sure nothing got out of hand, Ron and Hermione had done the same.

While Draco bragged to Ron about his new position as the Slytherin Seeker and his new expensive broom, the twins kept glaring at Maya. She shuffled awkwardly, begging for this to be over soon. Maya lifted her head when she heard Hermione’s voice spoke.

“At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in. _They_ got in on pure talent,” she had said sharply.

Even though Maya knew that Hermione was right, she knew Draco would not take this lightly.

“No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mud—” he had started.

“HEY!” Maya shouted and smacked the back of his head. “Friendly reminder that you’re now friends with a muggle born,” she whispered in his ear.

At first, he glared at her, but his gaze slowly softened, and he took a deep breath. “Just keep it to yourself, you insufferable know it all,” Draco spat at Hermione in replace of the foul word.

Although he still made a rude comment, Draco still didn’t say the word. He also apologized to Maya several times that night about almost saying it. Maya was proud of him.

Two weeks had passed since then.

-

Even though Fred and George saw Maya help Malfoy try to be better, they were still angry.

Lucy was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall during a shared free period.

“It’s been two weeks!” Lucy exclaimed. “How is she still tolerating him?”

Fred nodded. “I for sure thought she would move on by now…”

George hadn’t said anything. Ever since Maya left to be with Malfoy, he had been more quiet than usual. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel bad about what he said, but he wouldn’t take it back. He really _was_ mad at Maya for betraying them, but he knew what he said most likely hurt her a lot more than he thought it would.

He had noticed how Maya would try to speak with Lucy. Or how she would try smiling at Fred in the halls. But every time she saw George, she would either ignore him or glare at him. This definitely didn’t bother him though, that would be ridiculous.

“We need a plan,” Lucy said, interrupting George’s angsty brooding. “Something that will make Maya realize that you can’t change Malfoy. That he’ll never be a good person.”

“But how? Who would she listen to?” Fred asked.

Lucy thought for a moment. She wondered what could convince her former best friend to see the bad in Malfoy. After a few moments, she realized Maya wouldn’t listen to anyone, unless she had no choice.

“What if…instead of trying to expose Malfoy to her…we expose him to someone else? Someone who would force her to stop talking to him?” Lucy thought out loud.

This got George’s attention. “Who are you thinking of?”

Lucy smirked. “Well, Maya’s the youngest child of three older brothers. Three _protective_ older brothers.”

“You think if we told them that their sister was hanging out with a blood supremacist they would care?” Fred questioned, not really understanding.

“No, I don’t think they’d give a crap about that. But they would care if they found out she was hanging out with a _boy_ ,” Lucy answered. Both boys realized what she was implying.

“Especially if we mention how he used to bully her!” George beamed, finally feeling hopeful.

Fred nodded. “I know that if someone told me that Ginny was hanging around with some slimy git, I wouldn’t be too happy.”

Lucy smiled. “I’ll write to all three of them. Knowing them, they would probably all write back to Maya as soon as they can. They’ll forbid her from talking to Malfoy!” Lucy held back on sharing the fact that Maya’s brothers often threatened any guy Maya ever mentioned, so there is a possibility of one of them flying all the way to England just to hurt Malfoy. That information wasn’t needed.

Lucy wrote all three letters that night and was confident in her plan. She knew Maya’s brothers well and considered them her own family. She knew they wouldn’t fail her.

-

A week later, the first week of October, Maya was sitting with Draco for breakfast.

“You keep asking why Snape hates you so much, but you continue you to insult him in class!” Draco yelled at Maya while pouring a himself a glass of pumpkin juice.

“To be fair, he insults me first!” Maya pointed out, grabbing a piece of toast.

Draco snorted. “He doesn’t _insult_ you; he corrects you. You just don’t like criticism.”

“Uh…no! I value criticism when it is given to me respectively and when I actually need it,” Maya said as a matter of fact. “His criticism was unneeded; I did nothing wrong.”

“Your potion exploded!” Draco shouted while laughing.

“Whatever, I still don’t regret calling him greasy to his face. He didn’t take any house points and who knows! Maybe he’ll learn and finally take a shower!” Maya teased.

Draco rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

Maya snickered and continued to eat her breakfast. A few more Slytherins joined them later on and everyone agreed with Maya that Snape should probably take a shower.

Maya was mid-laugh when three letters dropped right in front of her.

“Wow, Frances. You got yourself a secret admirer?” Blaise teased, nudging her.

Maya read the envelopes and saw all three of her brothers’ names.

“Shut up. They’re from my brothers, you creep,” she said. “It’s weird though. Why would all three of them write to me?”

“Maybe they wanted to check up on you?” Daphne suggested.

Maya shook her head. “Nah, they only did that a few times last year, but never all at once.” She looked at Draco worriedly. “Do you think something happened?”

Draco shrugged. “I don’t think so. If something did, your mum would most likely be the one to write you.”

Maya agreed then decided to just rip open the letters and see for herself what was going on. She opened Luke’s first.

“ _Dear Maya,_

_What. The. Fuck._

_A boy? You’re hanging out with a BOY?? Why would you do that? You’re way too young to even think about dating! You know me and the others didn’t like the idea of you hanging out with those Weasley boys until mom told us they were alright! But this is ridiculous! Apparently, this Draco kid bullied you. Called you some wizard slur? Why would you hang out with him? I don’t approve. I know you don’t care about my approval, but if you don’t stop talking to him, Logan, Lewis, and I will fly down there and beat the crap out of him. So, don’t be stupid._

_Anyways, can you send us some of those chocolate frogs again? Those were really good._

_Love,_

_Luke.”_

Maya read the letter with complete shock. She read the other two and they all had the same type of message.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Maya muttered.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Daphne asked worriedly.

“I’ll be back,” Maya said and marched to the Gryffindor table where Lucy was sitting with the twins.

“Watch your back, Higgins,” Seamus said, “there’s a death eater behind you.”

Maya scoffed at him and flipped him off. She threw the letters right on Lucy’s plate.

“Are you fucking kidding?” She raged. “You fucking _snitched_?”

Lucy picked up the letters and saw who they were from.

“You have no proof of that,” she responded calmly.

“Oh bullshit! No one else here _knows_ my brothers!”

“So, what if it was me?!” Lucy yelled. “I’m just looking out for you! Take your brothers advice before you get yourself hurt!”

“The only people who are hurting me right now is YOU!” Maya emphasized. “You’re the one not trusting me, you’re the one who snitched to my brothers, and you’re the one who chose two freckled _gingers_ over me! I’m supposed to be your best friend!”

“Don’t act so innocent!” Lucy snapped. “You seem perfectly fine with your _new_ best friend, Malfoy! Why don’t you go complain about your daddies together? That seems to be your thing isn’t it? I’m not stupid, I know that’s what you two bonded over. I saw him too at Flourish and Blotts, but I didn’t sympathize with him because I’m not _weak_!”

The Great Hall was silent. Maya stared at Lucy with shock. She had never felt more hurt in her life. This was worse than what George had said, this was her best friend. They’d been there for each other for seven years and she always thought they’d stay friends. Now she didn’t know what to think.

Lucy didn’t realize what she had said until _after_ she said it. She immediately covered her mouth in shock, regretting the words that spilled out of her mouth.

“Maya…I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean—” She had started to apologize.

“Save it,” Maya said and ran out of the Great Hall.

Lucy had tears in an instant. Fred and George sat there too shocked to move at first, but then Fred moved to comfort her. He wrapped an arm around her while she held tightly to him and cried. George yelled at anyone who stared.

-

As Maya ran out of the Great Hall, Draco ran after her to make sure she was okay, but she wouldn’t stop running. She just wanted to be alone.

“Maya!” He shouted from behind her. “Merlin, slow down!”

She finally stopped running and turned to face him.

“Look, Draco I appreciate you making sure I’m okay, but I really want to be alone right now,” she said as nicely as she could.

“But—”

Two Ravenclaws walked past the two of them.

“Watch out, two death eaters are formulating a plan together,” one of them joked to their friend.

The other laughed. “Man, Harry Potter watch out. Who knows what these two are up to!”

Maya and Draco flipped them both off together. They’ve been receiving comments like this for the past few weeks and were used to it. However, Maya was already in a really bad mood, so this didn’t help.

“If you two don’t fuck off, maybe I _will_ hex you like a death eater!” Maya threatened. The two boys were not used to her fighting back and their eyes widened with fear as they ran away.

Draco watched them run away, impressed with his friend. “Can I actually hex them?”

“No,” she responded. “Draco this why I need to be alone right now. I don’t want to deal with anyone making more snarky comments. I’ll talk to you later, for now just go back to breakfast. Okay?”

He hesitated, he didn’t want to leave his friend, but he knew she wouldn’t stop until he left. He nodded and turned around.

Maya continued to walk on her own until she found a random bench in an empty hallway. When she sat down, she finally let the tears slip.

For the first time in her life, she felt helpless. Not only did she lose Fred and George, but she also lost the only person who has been there for her since she was a child. It hurt like no pain she’s ever felt before.

“Everything alright?” A kind voice spoke.

Maya groaned. “Oh, for fuck’s sake? Is it impossible to cry alone in this school?”

The boy laughed. Maya looked up and noticed a boy in Hufflepuff robes walking closer to her. He looked a few years older than her, but she couldn’t place a name to the face.

“Cedric Diggory,” he held out his hand and smiled.

Maya stared at it for a moment before ultimately deciding to shake his hand.

“Maya Frances,” she replied with caution.

“Oh, I know,” he chuckled.

She sighed. “Yeah, of course you would. What do you want? To call me a death eater. Make a joke about how I had dinner with You-Know-Who last week?”

“What? No?” Cedric continued to laugh at the girl’s frustration, then sat down next to her. “I just saw you crying and wanted to see if you were okay!”

“Well, save yourself before anyone sees you. If you’re caught with me, you’ll have rumors about you by lunch,” Maya attempted to warn him.

Cedric shrugged. “Probably not, I’m a Hufflepuff. No one will think I’m a death eater.”

“I wish I was a Hufflepuff,” Maya muttered to herself.

“Hey! No! Be proud of your house!” He protested.

“Why should I?” Maya huffed. “All it’s done is add more trouble to my life. Last year everyone in the house thought I was a disgrace to the Slytherin name. Now everyone thinks I’m evil and plotting Potter’s downfall!”

“So what? It doesn’t matter what other people think. Be the Slytherin _you_ want to be, not the one people expect you to be,” Cedric advised.

Maya stared at him. “The fuck was that? You sound like some wise old man, like Dumbledore or something.”

He smiled at her. “Hufflepuffs and Slytherins can have a lot more in common than you’d think.”

She tilted her head. “How so?”

“Well, what do you think of when someone says they’re a Hufflepuff?”

Maya thought for a moment before answering. “Kind, I don’t think I’ve met one rude person in that house. They also seem to be smiling a lot, but I don’t know if that means anything. Draco often comments about how they’re ‘weak and easy to manipulate’, but I yell at him any time he says that.”

“Well there you go!” Cedric exclaimed like it’s obvious. “People immediately see a Slytherin and assume evil and when they see a Hufflepuff they assume kind, happy, and weak. Sure, we can be kind, but we’re not always happy. No one can be like that all of the time. And I can promise you we aren’t weak,” he smirked. “Anyways, both houses have some fake stereotype that feels almost impossible to be broken, but it’s not! I’ve spent the last five years at this school trying to be the Hufflepuff I wanted to be, and people finally took me seriously. That’s all you need to do.”

“Be myself? You sound like my mom…”

“Well your mum must be a smart lady.”

Maya smiled. “Yeah…she is.”

“You feeling any better?” He asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, um thank you. Sorry for yelling at you earlier…”

“Hey, no worries! Any time I disturb a crying girl I should be expected to be yelled at, right?”

Maya laughed and nudged him. “Maybe not all girls, but most.”

“Well, Frances, I gotta get to class. But I’m glad you’re feeling better,” he said, standing up. “And if you ever need more wise old man advice on how to be yourself, you know where to find me.” He winked and left.

Maya replayed the scene in her head over and over. Slowly starting to take back Cedric’s advice.

‘ _I’ll just be whoever I want,’_ she thought. ‘ _Eventually I’ll get some respect…I hope…’_

-

A few days passed and this time, it was Lucy who tried to talk to Maya in class, but Maya kept ignoring her.

The rest of October had come, and Maya hadn’t said a word to Lucy or the twins since. Maya had hope at first, that they would come to their senses and realize that she had never actually done anything bad, but now that it was Halloween, her hope had started to fade.

She was obviously having fun with her new friends and was shocked with how much comfort she felt when around Draco, but a part of her still didn’t feel right. She felt like a piece of her was missing, like she needed to fill some sort of void that was left when Lucy and she stopped talking for good.

Her plan was simple. To fill that void by stuffing her face during the Halloween feast.

Her and Daphne were walking to the Great Hall together when suddenly, someone had bumped right into her. Maya stumbled into the wall and was about to apologize for being in the way, when she felt the tug in her gut again.

More images had blocked her vision, more aggressive than usual. She saw the same as she saw back at the Burrow, Mrs. Norris, the same flooded bathroom, and Ginny writing in a diary. This time, however, she also saw the ghost she recognized as Nearly Headless Nick floating shockingly still. This wasn’t what bothered her though, what disturbed her the most was the voices she heard. She couldn’t understand what it was saying, but it sounded like a snake trying to communicate with someone.

By the time she came back from her visions, she was sitting on the ground gasping for air.

Draco must have managed to find her while she was blacked out because he was crouching in front of her, checking her forehead for a fever.

“You alright, Frances?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed with concern.

She nodded slowly, too startled to say anything. She could still slightly hear the snake speaking.

Neville Longbottom was in front of Maya’s face in an instant.

“Maya! I’m so sorry!” He blurted. “I didn’t see you! Merlin’s beard, I thought I’d killed you! Are you alright? Do you need anything?”

Maya was overwhelmed by the boys frantic speaking and she started to feel dizzy again.

“Shove off, Longbottom,” Draco spat. “If you had just watched where you were going, your fat arse never would have hit her.”

Maya shook her head at Draco.

“No, no. I-it’s fine. I’m fine,” she stuttered. “Don’t worry, Neville. I’m not mad. Can I uh…can I have some space though?”

Neville nodded and backed away immediately. There was apparently a whole crowd watching and they all seemed to follow Neville’s footsteps and backed away as well.

Draco gave her a hand to help her up, which she took gratefully. She looked around the crowd and immediately spotted Lucy’s concerned eyes. Not far behind her stood Fred and George.

Lucy didn’t even hesitate to run up to Maya.

“Are you okay? Did you see anything? You’ve never blacked out like that before!” Lucy bombarded her with questions.

Maya scowled at her. “I’m fine, go be immature with the twins or something. I don’t care.”

Lucy frowned. “Maya, ignore our stupid fight for one second! This is dangerous, you have to tell McGonagall! You said you would!”

Maya got close to her face and spat. “Yeah? And you said you would always be there for me. Things change.” Then she walked away with Draco.

The crowd had disappeared except for Fred, George, and Lucy.

Fred had walked up to where Lucy stood in shock and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder.

“She didn’t mean it. You know she’s just upset,” he tried comforting her.

Lucy was already crying. “It’s my fault! It’s my fault she’s upset, and she won’t even let me apologize!” Lucy wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder.

George stood there awkwardly for a few minutes. He noticed that for the past two months, he would often find himself third wheeling with these two.

“Lucy, maybe you should stop trying to get her back…” George said once her crying had calmed down to just sniffles.

“What?” She asked, wiping her nose.

“She clearly doesn’t want to hang out with us anymore. Whatever happens to her now, it’s her problem. Not ours,” George had answered, but despite how much he wanted to agree with his words, his heart wasn’t fully in it.

He did miss Maya. Not just because he hated being the third wheel with his brother and Lucy, but she was also one of his best friends. As loud and obnoxious as Maya could be, George seemed to like being around her. He never admitted to it though.

“No!” Lucy shouted, becoming angry. “No! You know what? I’m not going to just give up. She’s my best friend and I fucked up,” Lucy stomped her foot to emphasize her point. “Did she also fuck up? Sure! But just because she made one new friend, doesn’t mean we have to end our friendship.”

“Yeah, but her ‘one new friend’ just so happens to be a dick,” George pointed out.

“Oh, for fucks sake!” Lucy exclaimed. “I don’t care! Maybe at first, I did, but this fight didn’t need to go on for two whole months! Has anyone else cared to notice how Malfoy’s insults had gone down to a minimum since he and Maya became friends?”

Both the twins were silent, neither daring to argue with her.

“Exactly! Maya was right! This whole thing was stupid, and we let it get out of hand! As of tonight, I am officially getting my friend back,” Lucy declared.

Fred and George thought for a minute. They both felt hurt about how easily Maya had chosen Malfoy, but they knew now that she didn’t tolerate any of his insults and always put him back in his place. They noticed how Malfoy and Maya had easily balanced each other out, but neither wanted to admit to it.

Fred was the first to speak up.

“I think you’re right. As pissed off as I was…she’s still Maya despite being friends with Malfoy. And I miss her. I’ll help you get her back,” Fred confirmed proudly.

Both Lucy and Fred watched George as he stood there awkwardly for a few moments.

“Well, I’m not,” George stated. “She betrayed us and…and I don’t care about how she’s taught Malfoy some basic manners. I don’t trust him, so I don’t trust her.”

Lucy marched over to him and slapped him.

“Are you dumb?!” She cried.

“Ow!” George yelled, rubbing his cheek. Fred snickered in the back.

“Do you really think neither of us see you moping?” Lucy pointed out. “You look miserable! We know you miss her! You secretly want her back, but you’re too damn stubborn to fucking admit to it!”

“I’m not stubborn!” George protested.

“Yeah! You are! And so is Maya! We all are, and that’s why this went on for too long,” Lucy paused to get some air. “I know you’re afraid to apologize because you said some hurtful things. But I did too, and if I can do it, then surely, a Gryffindor who is supposed to be brave can too.”

Fred elbowed his brother. “She’s gotta point you know? The group isn’t complete without Maya and you know it.”

George considered their words for a minute, then decided he didn’t want to be slapped again.

“Fine, but I’m still going to keep an eye on her,” George decided.

“Oh man…what a hard job,” Fred teased. “Sounds awful! He’ll have to watch the girl he likes all day to make sure she doesn’t do something evil like pouring her milk before her cereal!”

George smacked his brothers head. “Gross! I don’t like her! She betrayed us; I’m doing you all a favor by being the one with a cautious eye. Someone has to do it.”

Lucy giggled. “Thank you so much, George. We will forever be in your debt!”

George continued to yell at them as they all walked into the Great Hall together.

-

Despite the troubling event that occurred before the feast, Maya still enjoyed her time.

She felt less fatigue as she drank some water and ate some mashed potatoes. Her mood immediately brightened when Blaise snuck several peas in Draco’s cup, causing him to spit it out all over Pansy.

By the end of the meal, Maya barely remembered how weak she had felt in the beginning of the meal. However, the mood dampened as soon as everyone left the Great Hall.

Everyone was making their way out to head to their common rooms, but all collectively stopped as they saw Ron, Harry, and Hermione standing alone in a corridor with a scarily stiff Mrs. Norris.

Maya grabbed Draco’s hand and the two of them made their way to the front to get a better view.

Maya gasped as she read the wall covered in blood.

“ _THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.”_

“Enemies of the Heir, beware!” Draco read aloud. “Muggle-borns better watch out,” he smirked.

Maya gave him an “are you serious?” look earning a quick sorry from him.

Filch appeared in an instant, most likely due to Draco’s loud yell.

“What’s going on here? What’s going on?” He shouted.

He looked around at the students, waiting for an answer until his eyes finally landed on Mrs. Norris.

“My cat! My cat! What’s happened to Mrs. Norris?” He looked around the room.

This was exactly what Maya saw in her vision, minus the blood on the wall. She started to feel guilty for not telling anyone…Filch’s cat could have been unharmed.

Filch caught sight of Harry and screeched. “ _You!_ You’ve murdered my cat! You’ve killed her! I’ll kill you! I’ll—”

“ _Argus!_ ” Dumbledore yelled, making his way to the scene, along with several other teachers.

“Come along with me, Argus,” Dumbledore said to Filch. “You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger.”

Lockhart suggested they use his classroom and they all left to discuss the events.

From the other side of the hallway, Maya saw George staring at her. He was the only one she told about her vision of Mrs. Norris. He nudged his head in the direction of Lockhart’s class, implying to tell them about what she saw, but Maya simply shrugged and shook her head. They had a lot to deal with at the moment, she would only cause more unneeded stress for the professors.

-

Maya couldn’t sleep that night. She was too unsettled by the events of the night. She kept replaying the snake voice in her head and every time she closed her eyes; she would see Mrs. Norris hanging from the wall. She also couldn’t help but wonder why her visions had impacted her so much more than they usually had.

After an hour of tossing and turning, she gave up. She got out of bed and put on her slippers, then made her way into the common room. No one was there, making her plan easier.

Maya slipped out of the room and headed in the direction of where the Mrs. Norris had been. She wanted to investigate the wall and see if she could get anymore visions of it. If she could, she was going to immediately report them to McGonagall. She didn’t want to almost die again like the year before.

Maya walked quietly, careful not to get caught by anyone. She arrived at the wall and was relieved to see no one there.

“ _Lumos,”_ she whispered, lighting up her wand.

She pointed her wand closer to the wall and read the words once again. She knew Draco was right, it seemed as though muggle-borns would be the target of this situation. It probably wasn’t smart to go out alone at night with this information, but she didn’t care.

Maya hesitantly raised her hand towards the wall, she double checked no one was around, then firmly placed her hand on the wall. She felt the tug forward and her eyesight was blocked completely with new visions.

The snake voice was speaking aggressively as she saw several people laying completely still, the same way Mrs. Norris had been. She realized that all these people weren’t dead but petrified. She saw Ginny crying frustratedly as she threw her diary. What was most confusing was the repeated images of the sinks in the second-floor girls’ restroom. Between every new image, she would be shown the bathroom again and each time the snakes spoke louder and louder. The words that the snakes were saying started to sound more like a name. She was only able to make out one part of the name, “Riddle”, before a shout brought her back to the present.

When Maya had regained awareness of her surroundings, she found herself somehow right in front of Snape’s classroom with her hand still on the wall. She quickly ripped her hand off and started to panic, wondering how she could have possibly ended up here.

She heard Snape’s voice coming closer to the exit of his classroom, which should have warned Maya to run, but she was in too much shock to even wiggle a toe.

“You three have completely destroyed my classroom!” He yelled getting closer and closer by the second. “I’m going to have to cancel all my classes tomorrow! Expelled! I’m going to get the three of you expelled!”

Out Snape came, covered in smoke and soot. Following behind him, Fred, George, and Lucy also covered in soot.

Snape looked at Maya and sneered.

“What are you doing up this late Miss Frances?”

“Uh…I…” She stuttered, still not exactly sure what’s going on and how she got here.

“Have you become even more incompetent at night?” Snape scolded. “What are you doing here? Did you have anything to do with this prank these three committed?”

Maya turned to look at the three of them and saw all of them had a pleading look on their faces. They all knew that if Maya said she was involved; Snape would be less harsh because she was a Slytherin. With any luck, they wouldn’t get any detentions.

She contemplated whether she should actually help them or not. She was still angry at them for being rude, but she was also exhausted and didn’t want more of a reason for all of them to fight. She also wanted to go back to her dorms as soon as she could, she was terrified of what she saw and wanted to speak with McGonagall as early as she could the next morning.

‘ _Just this once_ ,’ she thought. ‘ _I’ll help them out just this once.’_

“It was my idea,” she blurted out. “None of them wanted to go along with it, but I was still mad at you for calling my potion a disgrace, so I wanted to show you what a real disgrace would look like. Don’t blame them, I forced them to do it. Sorry, sir.”

Fred, George, and Lucy’s jaws were hanging open with shock.

“Miss Frances, it has come to my attention you are no longer friends with these three. Why would you seek their help for childish behavior?”

“Because I knew that if anyone could get something to explode, it would be the twins,” she answered casually.

“Are you lying to me, Frances?”

“Why would I lie? Why would I help these guys out? Like you said, professor, I’m no longer friends with them. If I wanted them to get punished, I would let them. But this was actually my fault, so I take the blame.”

Snape and Maya made eye contact. Snape was waiting for her to break, but she never did. He eventually gave up.

“Fine, only a few points from each of their houses will be taken away. Frances, I want you to spend more time with Malfoy, so he’ll be a better influence on you. I’d also like you to write an essay on how to _properly_ brew a Wiggenweld Potion. Now, go to bed,” Snape finished then dramatically turned down the hallway leaving them.

Maya released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

Lucy ran up to her and wrapped her arms around her.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! If I got expelled, I think my mom would have actually killed me!” Lucy cried.

Maya shrugged her off. “Yeah, whatever. This was a one-time thing! Don’t get too comfortable!”

Fred laughed and put his arm around Maya, casually as if they never had a fight.

“Awe, Maya it’s okay! You can admit you missed us!” He teased.

She pulled his arm off. “Don’t touch me, you’re dirty.”

“You’re not denying it!” He continued.

“Why are you being so weird? Just like three hours ago you all had your panties in a twist and were pissed at me!”

“Because! You just proved where your loyalties have always lied!” Fred said as if it were obvious.

“I did what?” She asked frustratedly.

Lucy smiled. “We knew that if you saw us getting in serious trouble, you would help us out! If you didn’t…well that would have sucked. But you _did_ help which means you still care!”

“Hold on…so this whole thing was staged?” Maya gasped, not believing they would be this desperate to get her attention.

“Well not everything,” Fred said. “We really did blow stuff up in Snape’s classroom, his anger was genuine.”

“How did you even know I would be here?”

“We didn’t,” Lucy answered truthfully. “But we hoped you would be!”

For the first time Maya laughed. “You three are so lucky I actually showed up.”

“She laughed!” Fred announced.

“Does this mean you forgive us?” George spoke for the first time that night.

Maya immediately frowned. “What? No! You guys said some really rude shit, this means nothing.”

“But we’re sorry!” Lucy begged. “I’ve been trying to apologize for weeks, but you’ve been ignoring me! Which I suppose you had a good reason to, but still! I tried!”

Maya stared at her. She missed Lucy terribly. These past two months had been the loneliest she’s ever felt in her entire life. Even though she had all these knew friends, none of them compared to Lucy. She also knew that Lucy never meant the stuff she said, but she was just too upset to talk to her. Now though, now Lucy was standing here, covered in smoke and ash at two in the morning, after blowing up a classroom just to get Maya’s attention. Without a second more to waste, Maya pulled Lucy into a hug.

Lucy yelped with excitement and wrapped her arms around her best friend again.

“I really am so sorry! I never meant what I said! It should never have come out, but you know how sometimes my mouth speaks before I comprehend what I’m saying!” Lucy rambled.

“’S’okay,” Maya muttered in her friends’ shoulder. “I forgive you. And I’m sorry too. I was also a dick.”

Fred cleared his throat. “So, what about the rest of us? I’d like to point out that I _technically_ never said anything directly to you, unlike these two.”

Maya cackled. “Fred, I know it was you who started the death eater rumors.”

Fred dramatically gasped. “ME? Maya! I would never!” She stared at him. “Okay, I may have said something, but honestly I didn’t think it would be so successful. Also, George started it too.”

George elbowed his brother.

“It’s okay, Freddie. I forgive you too,” Maya smiled at him.

Fred, being the dramatic boy, he is, picked her up and spun her around.

Maya yelped. “Put! Me! Down!” But she couldn’t be heard over Lucy’s cackling and Fred’s overdramatic words of forgiveness.

Once he put her down, the air had become awkward.

Maya stared at George as he hesitated to speak.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I’m um…I’m sorry…”

She didn’t say anything, she waited for him to say more.

“I uh…I was really mad at first and wasn’t thinking straight. I had a right to be mad though, you _did_ betray us. Malfoy is a git and you just—”

“George,” Lucy interrupted him.

George cleared his throat. “Right, sorry. Um, well I’m sorry for what I said to you. And I also shouldn’t have made you choose between us and Malfoy. We should have trusted you.”

Maya smiled and hugged him, she stood on her tippy toes due to the height difference between them. George slowly hugged her back, but when he did, he hugged her tightly. For the first time in months, they both felt a huge sense of relief.

When she let go, she spoke. “I suppose I should apologize too. I did technically betray you, but I was going to tell you guys about Draco, but you caught me off guard and it got out of hand quickly. I do hope you know though; I am going to continue to be friends with Draco. I don’t expect any of you guys to be friendly with him either, just to respect my friendship and to trust me.”

“We know,” said Lucy. “And we do trust you. You know what you’re doing, we don’t get a say in it.”

“Good,” Maya smiled.

“So, does this mean we can’t prank Malfoy anymore?” Fred asked.

Maya laughed. “No, we absolutely can. I may be friends with him, but I still want to make him look stupid. He’s still far too cocky.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Fred cheered.

“Oh God…so we still have to spend hours figuring out different pranks?” Lucy complained.

Lucy and Fred bickered with each other about whether or not the planning was worth the effort. (“It’s what makes the process exciting”-Fred. “I need to actually do homework!”-Lucy.)

George smiled at Maya, glad to no longer be the third wheel, and to have someone by his side.

“It’s good to have you back, Frances,” he said.

“Good to be back, Weasley,” she smiled and squeezed his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So next week I have finals and that's going to be the death of me. There's most likely not going to be an update next week and I apologize, but I'll make the next chapter worth the wait. I promise!


	7. Chapter 7: Year 2- Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hogwarts isn’t safe this year,” George said, trying to stay calm. “You, Lucy, and all the other muggleborns are at risk. Sneaking around the castle just isn’t safe for you guys.”  
> “Okay, but if I’m not alone I should be fine!” Maya reasoned. “Besides! If we go, whatever I find out might help the situation, so no one is in danger!”  
> George looked at Fred and Lucy for help, but when Maya has her mind made up, there is no changing it.  
> “Fine, but not now. We should wait a bit. After Christmas,” George concluded, staring into Maya’s eyes as if daring her to fight back.  
> She stared back, she wanted to do this now to fix everything now. It’s her fault for not seeing Justin in her vision. She should have looked harder. She had to fix this problem as soon as possible. But George wasn’t going to argue on this.  
> Maya sighed in defeat. “Fine, after Christmas.”  
> -  
> The Chamber of Secrets has been open, Maya wants to try and stop it, and Ron can't make snowflakes

Chapter 7

The next morning, Maya did not hesitate to run to McGonagall’s office to tell her all about the visions she saw. As soon as she opened her eyes she jumped out of bed and ran into the shared bathroom in her dorm.

She heard Pansy groan from outside the bathroom.

“Ugh, Frances! I always use the bathroom first! Hurry up!”

In under two minutes she was fully clothed, and teeth were aggressively brushed, and she ran out.

“Sorry! See you at breakfast!” Maya shouted as she ran.

She sprinted out of the common room and up the staircase, bumping into several students on her way. By the time she finally arrived, she was panting with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

Once she caught her breath, she quickly knocked on the door.

“Come in,” McGonagall’s stern voice spoke from inside.

Maya opened the door hesitantly, feeling suddenly nervous, then stepped inside.

“Miss Frances? Everything alright” She raised an eyebrow at the red faced student.

“Er…yeah. I just wanted to talk to you,” Maya explained awkwardly.

“Alright dear, take a seat. Would you like any tea?” McGonagall asked, already taking out tea and a tin of biscuits.

“Yes please,” Maya answered as she took a seat. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was till the saw the biscuits and took one quickly.

She looked around the room as her professor made the tea. There was a fireplace that was rumored about connecting to the Floo Network. She wanted to ask about it but decided now was not the time. The room had cozy looking maroon walls and a few paintings that seemed to be slowly waking up for the day.

“Help yourself to the sugar,” McGonagall smiled at her then took a seat at her desk. “What did you want to speak with me about?”

Maya took a deep breath, trying to get the confidence to speak.

“Was it about the issues between you and the Weasley’s?” She suggested before Maya got the chance to speak.

“Oh! No, we resolved that last night actually,” Maya chuckled, feeling more comfortable. “I um, wanted to talk to you about some of the visions I’ve been seeing.”

Maya suspected a flicker of fear in McGonagall’s eye, but before she could really see, it was gone.

“Ah, so you have been seeing them again?”

Maya nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t over the summer until I arrived at the Weasley’s. It happened the first night and I forgot all about it until yesterday when it happened again.”

McGonagall put down her cup. “And what did you see?”

“Um…well the first time I saw a flooded bathroom. I’m not exactly sure which one yet, I think second floor girls. Then I saw Mrs. Norris petrified, like what happened last night,” Maya explained. “Then I started to see more the second time. I saw Nearly Headless Nick just as petrified as Mrs. Norris was. I don’t fully understand how a ghost could be petrified, but that’s what I saw.”

McGonagall looked like she was thinking for a moment, taking all of the information in.

“Very well, we’ll keep an eye on him for now. Was there anything else?”

Maya took a deep breath. “I also saw several students petrified, but I wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of any of their faces. I also kept getting weird repeated images of the sinks in the bathroom, I don’t really know what that one means. These visions have been weirder than usual. I keep hearing this weird snake voice, but I have no idea what it was trying to say. I think it was trying to say a name.”

McGonagall did not try to hide her fear this time as Maya continued, but kept her tone light.

“Thank you for informing me Miss Frances. You may not realize it now, but you are helping a significant amount. I’ll inform Dumbledore immediately.”

Maya smiled, feeling rather proud of herself.

“But Miss Frances, how are you feeling?” McGonagall asked, pushing more of the biscuits towards her.

“I don’t really know. These visions have drained me a lot more than they typically do. I feel like I’m coming out of a trance,” Maya answered. She didn’t want to tell her professor about how she was out past curfew, so she didn’t explain any further.

McGonagall nodded. “Next time you have a vision, I suggest going to Madam Pomfrey if you feel ill, she may be able to help.”

Maya smiled, “Okay, thank you.”

“Is that all? I don’t want you to miss breakfast, can’t fill yourself up on only sweets,” McGonagall scolded.

“Um, yeah that’s all. Thank you, Professor,” Maya said, getting up.

“No, thank _you_ , Miss Frances. Five points to Slytherin for trying to help,” she smiled.

Maya thanked her again and left, feeling much more at ease.

She walked into the Great Hall a few minutes before breakfast had ended and walked over to the Slytherin table. She waved to the Gryffindor table before she took her seat and smiled brightly when the twins happily waved back.

“Where were you?!” Draco asked the second she sat down.

“Sorry, had to speak with McGonagall,” she said, adding toast to her plate.

“About what?”

“I wanted to let her know about the visions I saw, wanted to help out if I could.”

Draco nodded. “Daphne said you went off last night,” he started to whisper. “I don’t know what’s going on yet, but just be careful alright? Enemies of the heir is obviously referring to muggleborn, so just keep a cautious eye.”

Maya stared at him, shocked at how much he has changed after two months. A warm feeling took over her and she squeezed his hand.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I won’t go off and almost get killed again,” she teased, and Draco rolled his eyes.

As they ate, Maya looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw Ginny writing in her diary.

‘ _Oh crap! I forgot to tell McGonagall about Ginny!_ ’ She thought, ‘ _Oh well, probably isn’t too important.’_

Lucy walked up to the Slytherin table hesitantly.

“Hey, Luce! What’s up?” Maya grinned.

Draco looked at Maya confused.

“Wanted to see if you wanted to walk to charms together?” She smiled, casting a nervous glance towards Draco and the others.

Maya was about to respond when Draco spoke suddenly.

“And why would she want to do that?” He spat.

Lucy squinted her eyes at him. “Maybe because I’m her best friend?”

Draco laughed. “Some best friend you’ve been. Wasn’t it you who helped spread the death eater rumors?”

Maya cleared her throat. “Um, actually Draco, I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet, but we all made up.”

He turned to her. “What? Why? They were being foul!”

“They apologized and they really did look sorry,” she said. Draco just kept staring at her. “You don’t have to forgive them or be their friends, I don’t expect that much, but I never wanted to have to choose sides. I can have more than one friend.”

Draco nodded at that. “Very well, but I don’t trust them.”

Maya frowned a little. She knew it would be pretty much impossible for Draco and the twins to get along, but she at least hoped he and Lucy would bond at some point.

“Alright, I’ll catch you later then?” She asked.

He nodded and gave her a small smile before she left.

“He’s still a dick,” Lucy whispered as they exited the Great Hall.

“Yeah, but he’ll come around eventually, he’s just worried I’ll get upset again.”

Lucy frowned. “I’m really sorry about what I said, I never meant—”

“It’s okay, Luce. I know,” Maya gave her hand a squeeze and they walked to class together.

-

A few days later they had a History of Magic class and Maya was bored out of her mind. Her and Lucy were both paratactically asleep on their desks, when they jumped up at Hermione’s voice.

“I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets,” she had said.

Maya looked around and it seemed like everyone else in the class was also just waking up.

“My subject is History of Magic,” Professor Binns said. “I deal with _facts_ , Miss Granger, not myths and legends.” He cleared his throat then went back to his lesson. “In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers—”

Hermione’s hand shot up once again, waving it frantically.

“Miss Grant?” He responded, already forgetting her name.

“Please, sir, don’t legends always have a basis in fact?”

Professor Binns looked shocked. Whether it was because she had proved a good point, or because for the first time ever he had been interrupted during a lesson, Maya had no idea, but she watched as he slowly started to respond.

“Well, yes, one could argue that, I suppose. However, the legend of which you speak is such a very _sensational_ , even _ludicrous_ tale—”

The whole class watched in interest, and Professor Binns was shocked by the amount of attention he had received. He sighed and admitted defeat.

“Oh, very well. Let me see…the Chamber of Secrets,” he began to tell the story of how Hogwarts was created and the founders of each house. He explained the dispute between Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor.

“The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic.”

Everyone uneasily shuffled in their seats. Lucy held Maya’s hand, reassuring the both of them that they were safe.

“The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course,” he said. “Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible.”

Hermione’s hand shot back in the air.

“Sir – what exactly do you mean by the ‘horror within’ the Chamber?”

“That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control,” Professor Binns responded.

The whole class exchanged nervous looks.

Lucy spoke up. “What kind of monster?”

Professor Binns shook his ghostly head. “Doesn’t matter. I tell you; the thing does not exist. There is no Chamber of Secrets.”

“But, sir,” Seamus Finnigan started, “if the Chamber can only be opened by the Slytherin’s true heir, no one else _would_ be able to find it, would they?”

“Nonsense, O’Flaherty,” Binns said, getting another name wrong and getting aggravated. “If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven’t found the thing—”

“But, Professor,” piped up Parvati Patil, “you’d probably have to use Dark Magic to open it—”

“Just because a wizard _doesn’t_ use Dark Magic doesn’t mean he _can’t_ , Miss Pennyfeather. I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore—”

“But maybe you’ve got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn’t—” Dean Thomas had started, but Professor Binns had had enough.

“That will do,” he said sharply. “It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to _history_ , to solid, believable, verifiable _fact_!”

And after that, the class was the same as usual, but Maya and Lucy weren’t able to fall back asleep.

That night, Maya didn’t feel comfortable sitting at the Slytherin table for dinner. She liked all her new friends and trusted they wouldn’t harm her (other than Pansy perhaps), but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the ghost of Salazar Slytherin was somehow angry with her for being in his house.

“Good to have you back, Frances,” Fred smiled at her as she sat down next to George like she used to.

“Yeah, thanks,” she muttered, not fully paying attention.

Fred, George, and Lucy chatted as they ate dinner, but Maya wasn’t feeling too hungry. She kept imagining an angry Salazar sending some bizarre monster after her. Suddenly a piece of broccoli had been thrown at her, making her jump.

“Hello! Earth to Maya!” Lucy said, waving her hands over Maya’s face.

“Sorry, zoned out,” she apologized.

“You okay?” George asked, looking at her with concern.

She tried to give a convincing smile and nodded. “Yeah, just tired. Long few days.”

Lucy threw another broccoli at her. “Not true, what’s up?”

Maya flung the broccoli back at her. “I’ve just been thinking…about the Chamber of Secrets. I mean what kind of monster could only the Heir of Slytherin control?”

Lucy shuddered. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about what Binns said too. I don’t like the sound of this Chamber thing.”

“It could be fake,” George tried to say, but not even he believed that.

“Fake or not,” Maya said, “Salazar Slytherin obviously hated the idea of muggleborns being in his house. He would be _furious_ if he found out I somehow got in…”

“Well that ugly snake is dead, so don’t worry about a dead man’s opinion,” George said. “But if a ghost comes and starts to haunt you, let us know. We’ll send Peeve’s to torment him right away.”

Maya grinned, starting to feel a bit better. It was pretty hard to stay upset around these three. She started to eat her dinner and chat with everyone after that.

She still was worried about going to the Common Room, so she suggested that the four of them go on a long overdue midnight adventure, everyone agreed.

-

The day before the first Quidditch match of the season Maya was studying in the library with Draco.

“I’m bored,” she complained shutting her book.

Draco rolled his eyes at her.

“Draco, I’m bored,” she continued, this time nudging him.

He looked up from his essay and was about to say something but stopped and pointed behind her. Maya turned around and saw Ron, Harry, and Hermione in the Restricted Section of the library.

“How did they even get in? They shouldn’t be allowed,” Draco grumbled.

“Maybe they got permission, I dunno,” Maya said, suddenly intrigued.

“What could they even want from there?”

Maya got up from her seat. “I’ll go find out.”

“What? No, sit down. They wouldn’t just tell you,” Draco sputtered, trying to stay quiet to avoid a look from Madam Pince.

“Sure, they will, unlike _you_ , they actually like me,” she said and walked over to them.

“Hiya!” She said once she arrived, making all three of them jump.

“Oh, just you,” Harry sighed. “What’s up, Frances?”

She nodded at the book Hermione was holding. “Could ask you the same thing. What are you guys doing here?”

“Reading,” said Ron a little too quickly.

“Ron, I don’t think I saw you open up a book once last year,” Maya teased.

Hermione chuckled at that. “He needs help with potions, I thought this book might help.”

Maya thought for a moment, almost believing it. “Was the textbook not good enough? Why go all the way to the Restricted Section?”

“Figured if it breaks some rules, these two might finally be interested,” Hermione said.

“Oi!” Ron sputtered, earning in elbow in the ribs from Harry.

Maya didn’t fully buy it but decided to give up and investigate another time.

“Alright, well good luck!” She said and walked back slowly, overhearing their whispers behind her.

“Why don’t we just ask her to spy on Malfoy for us?” Ron suggested.

“That might be easier, but she’s friends with him now. Might not be the best idea,” Hermione responded.

The next day was an exciting day. First Quidditch match of the season, and Slytherin vs Gryffindor. The whole Great Hall was buzzing with anticipation.

“Draco, you should knock Potter off his broom!” Pansy cackled excitedly.

Maya rolled her eyes and ignored Pansy’s attempts of words of encouragement.

She could tell Draco was nervous, despite the amount of times he denied it. He didn’t want anyone else to know he was nervous, so he laughed along with the rest, but Maya knew better. He sat next to her and she could feel his leg bouncing nervously and he had very little food on his plate.

“Just one piece of toast,” she whispered to him. “You’ll be fine as long as you eat.” Then she gave his hand a small squeeze under the table. He smiled at her gratefully in return, then took a bite of toast.

When it was time for the team to leave for the pitch, Maya wished him luck one last time then went to the Gryffindor table to do the same for the others.

“I knew you would be cheering for us today,” George teased.

Maya stuck her tongue out at him. “Yeah, right. I’m only here to wish Harry luck.”

Last year it became a tradition for her to kiss Harry’s cheek for good luck before each game. It was a kind gesture and it was funny to see the twin’s reactions, more specifically, George’s.

She kissed his cheek and told him to watch out for Malfoy, as he may not play too fairly.

“Alright, my turn!” Fred and George both said, pushing their faces closer to Maya. She laughed and slapped them both

“Nope!” Then she skipped back to the Slytherin table to walk down to the pitch with Daphne.

As the game started, everyone started to cheer. Maya and Daphne met with Lucy on the stands and the three of them cheered together. The game started off normal, like every other game, but then she noticed a Bludger that George just hit magically change course and head straight towards Harry.

The three girls watched in fear as Fred and George kept trying to knock the Bludger out of Harry’s direction.

Maya put her hands to her face. “Ugh, why does Harry always seem to almost die during every Quidditch match?” She groaned.

“Looks like they’re calling a time out,” Lucy said, pointing to everyone flying down.

It was now raining rather hard and everyone became more anxious. Everyone, except the Slytherins who were cheering.

The teams started to fly up again and Maya and Lucy both groaned.

“You can’t be serious!” Lucy shouted.

“That Bludger is gonna kill him!” Maya yelled.

As the game continued, Maya watched as Harry flew higher and higher into the sky, twirling around to avoid the Bludger. He seemed to stop when Draco was laughing at him, it was hard to tell from far away, but he had a determined look on his face. The determination was gone in an instant when the Bludger flew straight into his elbow.

“Ooo! That’s gotta hurt!” Lucy cried.

Harry, however, kept moving. He dived straight towards Draco and started to reach out then dropped straight into the muddy ground.

“I think he’s got the snitch!” Lucy observed, squinting her eyes.

“Yeah, but he also just fainted,” Maya said, trying to get a better look.

Lockhart and the rest of the team all ran to Harry in a hurry. Everyone watched as Lockhart pointed his wand at Harry and yelled a strange spell.

“Ugh! That’s disgusting!” Daphne gagged.

Even from the stands they were able to see Harry’s arm bend in a way that no one’s arm should be able to do.

-

Draco was _not_ happy when they went to the Room of Choices. Flint shouted at him for not being able to see the snitch next to him, and Draco felt terrible.

“It’s really not your fault…” Maya said, trying to help.

“It was right next to my head!”

“Yeah, but that could happen to anyone!”

Draco scoffed. “No, it couldn’t. I was too busy laughing at Potter and the bloody Bludger.”

Maya stiffened at the mention of the Bludger. There was a rumor going around that Draco had jinxed it, and while Maya didn’t really think he would do that, she was still wary. She promised George she would ask right after the match.

“Er…about that…” she started.

“No, I didn’t do it,” Draco sighed. “Though, I wish I did.”

“Who do you think did it then?” She asked.

Draco only shrugged at that, ready to change the topic.

They stayed in the room a bit longer, waiting for Draco to calm down a bit before they went back down to the common room.

The next morning, news had broken out that Colin Creevey had been petrified

-

A month had past and it was now December. No one else had been petrified, but the environment of the castle still seemed anxious. More people started to walk in groups rather than being alone and Draco almost never let Maya walk on her own.

They sat together in their double potions class one afternoon and worked on a swelling potion together, well not exactly together. Maya was not the best with potions, so all Draco let her do was stir while he did everything else, but Maya wasn’t complaining.

“Are you doing it counterclockwise?” Draco asked, watching over shoulder.

Maya rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m doing it counterclock—”

_BOOM!_

Goyle’s potion exploded and splattered everywhere.

Maya ducked under the table as quickly as possible and luckily didn’t get hit, but Draco was not as lucky. His nose had swelled up to the size of a small melon. Goyle had also been hit and his hands were ginormous. Several other people were hit, and Maya couldn’t help but laugh.

“Silence! SILENCE!” Snape roared. “Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draught.”

Everyone lined up and Maya came out from under the table, trying to look around for anyone suspicious. As she looked around, she noticed Harry unarmed and laughing, then even more surprising, she saw Hermione sneaking back into the class. Maya’s jaw dropped at the sight of Hermione breaking a rule and she saw Maya’s shocked face. She put her finger to her mouth in a gesture to stay quiet, Maya’s jaw still hung open, but she never said anything.

At the end of class Maya told Draco she would meet up with him later and ran straight to Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

“What the hell?” She cried as they were far enough away from the classroom,

“What?” Hermione said casually, smirking.

“You two broke Hermione!” Maya yelped. “She broke a _rule_!”

They all laughed at that.

“Relax, Frances. She didn’t make the potion explode, I did,” Harry said.

“But why?”

“We needed to cause a distraction,” Harry said then paused, realizing his mistake.

Maya raised a suspicious eyebrow. “A distraction for what?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ron replied.

“Fine,” Maya huffed. “Don’t tell me. Doesn’t matter, I’ll find out anyways.” Then she picked up her speed and walked ahead of them.

-

A week later and Maya still didn’t know anything. She almost wished she could have another vision so she could see what they’re up to, but she can’t control what she sees so it wouldn’t really work.

“They’re planning something, I know it,” Maya grumbled, shoving cereal in her mouth.

Daphne groaned. “Enough! I hear enough of Draco whining about Potter, Maya please spare me!”

“Hey!” Draco sputtered. “I don’t whine about Potter!”

Maya laughed at that. “That is the biggest lie I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“I don’t!” He protested.

“ _Stupid, Scar-head! Always breaking the rules because he thinks he’s sooo famous!”_ Maya said in her best Draco impression.

Daphne snorted. “ _Famous, Potter! Think’s he’s all that! I’ll tell my father!”_ She continued the joke.

“I hate you both,” Draco mumbled and hid his head under his arms on the table.

Maya was about to do another impression when Blaise came running up.

“Did you guys hear the news?” He beamed excitedly.

Draco lifted his head. “What news?”

“They’re starting a dueling club! First meeting tonight!” Blaise said, sitting down.

“That should be fun,” Maya thought about it. After having Lockhart as a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, she really hasn’t learned much and would appreciate learning at least _something_.

“Good because I signed us all up,” Blaise smirked.

“What if I don’t want to?” Goyle said.

He almost never spoke, neither did Crabbe. They usually stuck together and did anything Draco asked, which Maya thought was ridiculous.

“Scared?” She laughed at him.

Goyle’s face turned bright red. “What? No, I’m just saying because Malfoy might not want to…”

“No, I’ll do it. Should be fun, make it an excuse to hex Potter,” Draco replied.

Maya rolled her eyes. “ _I never whine about Potter_!”

Daphne snickered as Draco put his head back on the table.

That night they all made their way back to the Great Hall for their first meeting. The tables were all gone and there was a golden stage in replace.

Lucy met up with Maya and Daphne. Draco was there too, but all he did was nod at her and Lucy responded with another nod. The two haven’t been friendly, but they have been civil enough for there not to be a fight.

“Who do you think is going to teach us?” Daphne whispered to them.

“Don’t know, I hope it’s not Lockhart though,” Maya said, the others nodded, agreeing with her.

Maya had spoken too soon and sure enough, Lockhart walked onto the stage with Snape following close behind.

“Damnit!” Maya hissed.

“At least Snape is there too,” Draco added.

“Yeah, that’s great for you. Sucks for everyone else,” Maya grumbled.

Lochart waved his arm for everyone in the room to be quiet. “Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!”

“Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions – for full details, see my published works.”

“He’s honestly the most punchable person I’ve ever met,” Lucy muttered.

Everyone chuckled at that, even Draco.

“Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape,” said Lockhart, smiling a little too brightly. “He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don’t want any of you youngsters to worry – you’ll still have your Potions master when I’m through with him, never fear!”

“Oh, thank the lord!” Maya said sarcastically.

Snape and Lockhart turned to each other, face to face, and bowed. Lockhart bowed dramatically with his hands twirling gallantly, while Snape just simply jerked his head irritably. The two professors then raised their wands in front of them, like swords.

“As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position,” Lockhart said to the crowd. “On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course…One – two – three –”

Instantly they both swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent. Snape, however, spoke first and cried, “ _Expelliarmus!_ ” There was a flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was thrown off his feet. He flew backward all the way off the stage and smashed straight into the wall.

Draco, Daphne, Maya, and Lucy were not so subtly laughing at the man’s current state, sprawled out on the floor.

Lockhart slowly and unsteadily got to his feet. His hat was knocked off and his hair was standing up in different directions.

“Well, there you have it!” he said, stumbling back onto the platform. “That was a Disarming Charm – as you see, I’ve lost my wand – ah, thank you Miss Brown – yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don’t mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy – however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…”

Snape gave Lockhart a deadly glare, and even Maya started to fear for him.

“Enough demonstrating!” Lockhart announced. “I’m going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you’d like to help me –”

They moved through the crowd and paired everyone up. Maya was praying to every god she could think of that she’d be with Lucy, and assumed Lucy did the same. Lockhart came up to them and stared at the group.

“Hmm…I suppose Miss Frances and Miss Higgins shall go together. Miss Greengrass, you go with Miss Parkinson,” he tapped his pointer finger on his head and stared at Draco, figuring out where to put him, when Snape interrupted.

“Mr. Malfoy come over here. Let’s see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger – you can partner with Miss Bulstrode.”

Draco strutted over to Harry with a deviant smirk on his face.

“Well that can’t be good…” Maya said to Lucy.

“Face your partners!” called Lockhart, back on the platform. “And bow!”

Maya and Lucy bowed at each other dramatically and giggled.

“Wands at the ready!” shouted Lockhart. “When I count to three, cast your charms to Disarm your opponents – _only_ to disarm them – we don’t want any accidents – one…two…three –”

They raised their wands at the same time. To Maya, dueling seemed like a matter of speed, reflex, and observation. She watched as Lucy started to open her mouth, then instantly shouted “ _Expelliarmus!_ ”

Lucy’s wand flew out of her hand and she stumbled back a bit, not as much as Lockhart did, and Maya caught her wand in her hand.

Before they got to try again, they saw that Draco and Harry were doing the exact opposite of what they were supposed to be doing and were firing everything but Disarming spells.

“They’re so dumb…” Maya muttered.

“All the built-up sexual tension got to them,” Lucy teased, and Maya snorted.

“ _I said Disarm only_!” Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd. “Stop! Stop!” He continued to shout, but then Snape took charge.

“ _Finite Incantatem!_ ” he shouted, both boys stopped moving, the jinxes wore off.

Maya looked around and noticed that those two were not the only one’s fighting. Millicent Bulstrode had Hemione in a headlock and Harry quickly rushed forward and tried to help.

“What the hell is going on?” Lucy whispered, chuckling lightly.

“I think I’d better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells,” Lockhart suggested, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. “Let’s have a volunteer pair – Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you –”

“A bad idea, Professor Lockhart,” said Snape, marching over dramatically. “Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We’ll be sending what’s left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox.” Poor Neville’s face turned pink and he ducked his head. “How about Malfoy and Potter?” he suggested with a twisted smile.

“Excellent idea!” Lockhart beamed, gesturing Harry and Malfoy into the middle of the hall.

“In what world is that an excellent idea?” Maya gawked.

“They’re gonna kill each other!” Lucy agreed.

Lockhart moved over to Harry to try and give him advice, which Maya and Lucy assumed would end up being pointless. Snape was also whispering something in Draco’s ear, and Draco smirked back at him.

“I can’t look,” Lucy said and covered her eyes, but spread her fingers so she can peak.

Lockhart started to countdown and Maya was filled with dread. She snuck a glance at Pansy who was bouncing in anticipation, waiting for Draco to hex Harry.

When Lockhart got to one, Draco did not hesitate and shouted “ _Serpensortia!_ ”

The end of his wand exploded, and a long black snake shout out of it. It raised itself to strike and everyone in the Hall was shrieking.

“Don’t move, Potter,” Snape said lazily, enjoying Harry standing in fear. “I’ll get rid of it…”

“Allow me!” shouted Lockhart. He took out his wand and pointed it at the snake. Instead of removing the snake, he launched it all the way into the air, causing it to become angry. The snake slithered and raised itself at Justin Finch-Fletchely, fangs exposed, and ready to strike.

Harry started to walk forward towards the snake and started to speak to the snake. Maya recognized immediately the language that was being spoken. It was the same as what she heard in her visions. She felt her stomach drop and she was filled instantly with fear.

The snake slumped down and looked at Harry, but Maya was still terrified as to how Harry knew this foreign snakish language.

“What do you think you’re playing at?” Justin shouted and stormed out of the hall.

Snape stepped forward and got rid of the snake but stared at Harry with a strange look.

Ron and Hermione dragged Harry out and Maya wanted to go after them to talk to Harry herself, but she was too shocked to move.

“You okay?” Lucy placed a hand on her shoulder.

Maya flinched. “Yeah, I’ll explain later. Not here…”

Lucy nodded. Draco made his way over and any fear she had, was gone and replaced with anger.

“What the hell were you doing?!” She shouted at Draco. The crowd in the Great Hall started to stare.

Draco jumped, not expecting her to shout. “I was just dueling with Potter, relax.”

“All you had to do was Disarm him!”

“Relax! Snape told me to cast the spell, I wasn’t expecting Potter to talk to the bloody snake!”

Maya scoffed. “What about earlier?”

Draco shrugged. “Thought it’d be funny…”

“I mean it was a bit funny…” Lucy commented.

Maya looked at her shocked.

“What? They both looked ridiculous! Malfoy couldn’t stop laughing from the tickling jinx and Harry looked like he was doing some sort of Irish jig!” Lucy defended herself, laughing again.

Maya was just shocked that Lucy was actually agreeing with Draco.

“I-I mean yeah it was funny…but I didn’t think _you_ would defend Draco, of all people,” Maya said.

Lucy shrugged and Draco tried to hide his smile.

“Alright, that’s enough for the day!” Lockhart announced. “You may all head back to your common rooms!”

-

The next day Maya and Lucy were wandering aimlessly around the castle with Fred and George. Everything was going fine until Maya caught sight of several black spiders crawling around the floor.

“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!” She shrieked and threw herself behind George.

Lucy laughed for a second then saw what Maya was freaking out over and also screamed. The twins started to laugh at them.

“Relax! It’s just a few spiders!” Fred chuckled.

“That’s not a _few_!” Maya shrieked. “That’s at _least_ thirty!”

Lucy started to gag and looked away. Maya was still standing behind George and pushed him closer, using him as a human shield.

“What do you want me to do?” he cackled.

“I don’t know! Kill them!” she screeched.

“There’s too many! Besides they’re just innocent spiders!”

“Innocent?” Lucy yelped. “They’re not innocent! Look at them! They’re out to kill!”

Fred laughed and started to pick one up.

“Put. That. Down.” Lucy threatened.

He started to walk closer towards the girls, spider in hand. He was going to drop it, when suddenly a voice boomed.

“ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!” Peeves shouted.

The group of four stared at each other, then bolted towards the direction of the voice, spiders forgotten. They arrived with the rest of the crowd and Maya gasped at what she saw.

Nearly Headless Nick was floating, completely still just like she had seen in her vision. Even worse though, was Justin Finch-Fletchely laying there petrified. Harry was staring right in front of the scene, looking just as terrified.

Lucy and Maya held each other’s hands tightly.

“ _Caught in the act!”_ Ernie yelled, pointing at Harry.

“That will do, Macmillan!” said Professor McGonagall sharply.

Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra both came to help bring Justin to the hospital wing. McGonagall gave Ernie a fan to wave Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs to the hospital wing. McGonagall took Harry to see Dumbledore.

Everyone in the crowd slowly started to leave, but Maya was too busy thinking.

‘Why didn’t my visions show me Justin? I could have helped!’ she thought.

George placed a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. “We should probably go,” he spoke gently.

Maya stared at where Justin had laid only moments ago and nodded.

They decided to go to the Kitchens to calm down.

The elves happily gave them some sweets, but Maya wasn’t in any mood to eat.

“It wasn’t Harry, he would never do that,” Lucy started, sitting next to Maya.

“Do you remember the other day when he was talking to the snake?” Maya asked.

Lucy nodded; the twins weren’t there but were told about it from Ron.

“That doesn’t mean that he’s the Heir of Slytherin though,” George said.

Maya shook her head. “No, I know that. That’s not what I was going to say. I had a vision awhile ago. The night of Halloween.” She looked up and everyone was staring at her which made her more uncomfortable. “I heard voices, I wasn’t able to recognize it, but it sounded exactly like the language Harry was speaking.”

“Parseltongue,” Fred said for her.

Maya nodded. “Whatever Harry was saying to the snake yesterday, it was different than what the vision voices were saying. It seemed less aggressive…”

“Ron did say that Harry told the snake to leave Finch-Fletchely alone,” George said.

“What do you think the other voices were saying?” Lucy asked.

Maya shrugged. “I don’t know. I think a name. The last thing I heard was ‘Riddle’ then the vision ended.”

Fred and George looked at each other.

“There’s a trophy in the Trophy room,” George spoke. “Me and Fred have detention’s there often. There’s one with the name Tom Riddle. You think that’s who it could be?”

“Probably…” An idea started to form in her head. “Do you think we could sneak in there? I might be able to get a vision if I get close enough.”

George shook his head. “As much as I’d like to help. It’s too risky.”

“What? We always sneak around the castle, why not now?” Maya pointed out.

“No, I don’t think it’s that, Maya,” Lucy said, agreeing with George.

“Then what?” she spat, starting to get angry.

“Hogwarts isn’t safe this year,” George said, trying to stay calm. “You, Lucy, and all the other muggleborns are at risk. Sneaking around the castle just isn’t safe for you guys.”

“Okay, but if I’m not alone I should be fine!” Maya reasoned. “Besides! If we go, whatever I find out might help the situation, so no one is in danger!”

George looked at Fred and Lucy for help, but when Maya has her mind made up, there is no changing it.

“Fine, but not now. We should wait a bit. After Christmas,” George concluded, staring into Maya’s eyes as if daring her to fight back.

She stared back, she wanted to do this _now_ to fix everything _now_. It’s her fault for not seeing Justin in her vision. She should have looked harder. She had to fix this problem as soon as possible. But George wasn’t going to argue on this.

Maya sighed in defeat. “Fine, after Christmas.”

-

Maya and Draco sat in the Room of Choices the day before Christmas break. Maya and Lucy wanted to keep up last year’s tradition of celebrating with the Weasley’s, Harry, and Hermione, but Maya wanted to give Draco her gift first.

Finding a gift for Draco was especially difficult. For starters, he’s extremely wealthy and has anything he wanted. Not only that, but she was afraid he may have expected her to get a fancy gift which she would not be able to afford. What she didn’t know was that Draco didn’t expect her to get him a gift at all.

“What do you mean you thought I wouldn’t get you anything?” Maya sputtered. “Of course, I would! You’re my friend!”

“Well, so are Crabbe and Goyle, but we don’t get each other anything,” Draco said awkwardly.

“Well Crabbe and Goyle are idiots,” Maya said and threw a box at him.

He picked it up hesitantly and stared at her.

“Well go on! Open it!”

He slowly opened the box and pulled out a yellow book, the title read _Matilda_.

Draco laughed. “Is this the book you dropped on me last year?”

Maya grinned. “Yeah! After I dropped it on you, I eventually read it. It’s a really good book and I thought you might want to give it a read.”

Draco’s cheeks turned pink. “Thank you,” he said gently, staring at the book.

Maya assumed based off his reaction, he had never gotten a gift that sentimental and she felt proud of herself for choosing the right gift.

“I actually got you something too…” Draco said turning around to grab his gift.

“What?!” Maya cried. “You got _me_ a gift, but didn’t think I would get you anything?”

“I just wasn’t expecting anything in return!”

“Well just a heads up for future Christmas’s, I’ll be getting you gifts.”

“Noted,” Draco said, then handed her his gift.

Maya opened it and inside were all her favorite candies.

She gasped. “How did you even know that these were my favorites?”

Draco smiled. “I asked Higgins the other day.”

The thought of Draco talking to Lucy filled her up with so much joy, that she didn’t even need the sweets as a gift. She hugged Draco quickly and smiled.

“Thank you!”

“Of course,” he said.

They relaxed together for a bit longer, sharing some of the sweets until Maya looked at the clock and realized she had to go.

“Okay, it’s time for me to head out. But I’ll make sure to see you tomorrow morning before I leave,” Maya said standing up. Draco was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays and Maya felt bad. She felt like it was partly her fault. As if his dad found out that he had been hanging out with a muggleborn, but Draco swore that wasn’t it.

Draco stood up as well. “Actually, can I walk with you?”

Maya’s eyes widened. “Uh…yeah, I guess. Why?”

“Just don’t want you walking on your own, I’ll leave once you get there safely,” Draco said walking to the door.

“Awe you’re so kind,” she teased and ruffled his hair, grabbing her bag of gifts before stepping out of the room.

Draco huffed and tried fixing his hair. “I hate it when you do that.” That was a lie and they both knew it.

Maya told him about last year’s festivities as they walked down together.

“And by the end I realized we had forgotten Percy!” she laughed.

“Well it’s not your fault. There’s too many kids in that family, it would be impossible not to forget one,” Draco said, and Maya laughed.

They remembered to invite Percy this time, but he declined their invitation. He said he’d rather study and no one was going to fight him on it.

They were having their celebration in McGonagall’s class again, once again their professor made them promise to clean up afterwards and they all agreed.

Maya and Draco got to the classroom the same time as Fred, George, and Lucy and the three boys glared at each other.

“What’s he doing here?” George spat.

“I didn’t want her walking alone,” Draco sneered.

George’s expression changed from anger to shock. “Oh…okay…”

Maya rolled her eyes and turned to Draco.

“Thanks for walking me, I’ll see you later,” she said and kissed his cheek. Draco’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink for the second time that day, then left.

“Well…shall we go inside then?” Maya gestured to the door.

“Ladies first,” Fred winked, Maya and Lucy laughed and walked in.

Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were already there and had Santa hats on.

“Merry Christmas!” Maya yelled and grabbed one of the hats from the pile.

“Happy Christmas!” Hermione smiled at them.

“Ron, just give up!” Ginny laughed at her brother who was holding a pair of scissors and a very crumpled piece of paper.

“No! I want to know how she made them!” Ron grumbled, starting to cut more wholes into his paper.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at Hermione who laughed.

“I tried teaching him and Harry how to make snowflakes and he can’t figure it out.”

“Can’t blame him,” Maya smiled. “I can’t make them either, Ron.”

Ron smiled at her and went back to work.

Maya and Lucy walked over to the record player in the back corner and tried to get it to play Christmas songs while Fred and George set up the snacks.

“Did you like the gift Draco got you?” Lucy asked her.

Maya smiled. “I loved it, especially the fact that he talked to you about it.”

“I was a bit surprised too, to be honest. But he’s starting to grow on me a bit,” Lucy admitted.

Maya nudged her. “Told you he’s not that bad!”

“I did it!” Ron announced from the other side of the room.

Maya and Lucy turned around and looked at his snowflake. It was somehow worse than any snowflake Maya ever made. She at least had the shape right, Ron’s still looked like a square and had no cutting pattern on it, but he still looked so proud.

“Uh…good job, Ron,” Harry tried being nice.

“Ron…what the fuck is that?” Fred laughed hysterically, not even trying to be nice.

“It’s a snowflake!” He grumbled.

“It’s a square!” George laughed.

Hermione shook her head at the boys. “The effort is there, Ron. Keep trying for next year…”

Maya and Lucy came back over and grabbed a bunch of cookies and handed them to Ron to make him feel better.

They all sat around together, Fred and George singing offkey to the Christmas music while Ginny laughed at them, and the others still trying to help out Ron.

“Let’s do presents!” Fred announced. They all agreed and handed out their gifts together.

Maya and Lucy made everyone open their gifts first. They got Ginny a Barbie because she wasn’t there last year, and everyone deserved one. Hermione was given two new books, one a textbook and the other a muggle book. They got Ron a bunch of chocolate frogs because he’s still trying to finish his collection. Harry got an I love NY t-shirt because he told them how he wanted to visit there one day. And Fred and George were given several of their muggle pranks (fake vomit, a hand zapper, and of course, whoopie cushions).

Maya and Lucy got sweaters from Mrs. Weasley again and were just as excited as last year and Hermione got them both two muggle books they thought they’d like. Everyone was so happy and full of Christmas sweets by the end.

“I’m never eating again,” Lucy groaned, sprawled out on the floor.

“You want a cookie?” Fred offered.

Lucy picked up her head. “Yeah, okay.” Then took the cookie anyways.

“It’s almost curfew, we should start cleaning up,” Hermione suggested.

Everyone got up slowly and started to clean.

Maya was taking down the Christmas lights when George walked over, offering to help.

“Sure, thanks,” she grinned, and they worked together. After a few minutes George spoke up.

“You could have asked me, you know,” he looked at her. “To walk you over here. It wouldn’t have been a problem.”

Maya gave him a small smile. He thought she was coming from the Slytherin common room. She hadn’t told anyone about her and Draco’s room yet, so she wouldn’t have been able to ask him anyways. Still, she appreciated his concern.

“It’s okay, Draco didn’t mind. Honestly I didn’t even think about it until he offered to walk me.”

George frowned. “Oh, okay.”

Maya grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “You can walk me back though?” she suggested.

He smiled again at that idea. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Everyone finished cleaning after about twenty minutes and started to head out. Fred said he would walk Lucy to her common room and the others agreed to walk with Hermione.

“Merry Christmas you guys!” Maya said one last time as her and George started to walk down to the Dungeons.

“I ate far too many cookies,” George whined, rubbing his stomach.

Maya chuckled. “You’re complaining now, but I know you’ll be eating more sweets when you get back to your room.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He smiled. “So how does the hand zappy thing work?”

“It’s gotta small string that goes around your hand that people won’t see. Then you shake someone else’s hand and it gives them a small shock.”

There was a bounce in George’s step now. “I can’t wait to try it on Percy!”

Maya rolled her eyes and laughed.

They chatted some more as they walked to the Slytherin common room and eventually arrived there safely.

“I talked to Fred and Lucy about the trophy room,” George said as they stopped at the door. “We can do it the night we come back, but I still think it’s dangerous.”

Maya sighed. “I know, but something needs to get done. I feel like we’re all just waiting for the teachers to do something. We can do something too.”

George nodded. “How do you know you’ll be able to get a vision?”

“Honestly, I don’t. I’m kinda just hoping it’ll work,” she chuckled lightly.

“Okay…well until then, Happy Christmas.” George smiled.

Maya hugged him.

“Merry Christmas,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals week is over! I'm officially done with my first semester of college! Wooo! So now I have a month to write and update regularly and have fun!  
> Thank you for 400 reads I'm extremely grateful! If anyone wants to follow my Tumblr it's @miaafrances and I post whenever I update!  
> :)


	8. Chapter 8: Year 2- Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You can’t walk. I’m going to take you to the hospital wing, but I’ll have to carry you. Is that okay?”  
> ‘Just George’ she thought. ‘He’s good, he won’t hurt me. He gives good hugs.’  
> She nodded and George started to pick her up again. He started walking her to the hospital wing, making sure no one was around, though he didn’t care about getting caught that much at the moment.  
> Maya could barely keep her eyes open; she was exhausted.  
> “You’re warm,” she muttered, her head lolling back. She felt George’s chest laugh, but she had no control of her words and kept going. “You give good hugs too…”  
> “You’re gonna forget all this in the morning,” George chuckled, shaking his head.  
> “I hope so,” she said, then passed out.  
> -  
> Maya meets Tom Riddle in a vision, his eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, and there's a big scary snake tormenting Hogwarts

Chapter 8

Christmas was a mess.

It was the first Christmas Maya spent with her parents split up and everyone in her family was in panic mode. By the time the holiday actually came, Maya came to terms that she had no control over what happened. She didn’t want to see her dad, but she had no choice and went anyways.

She had at least hoped her brothers would come with her, so she wouldn’t be alone, but that never happened. All she got from them was “Don’t be too upset! You get two Christmases!”, which was not helpful.

It was only a two-week break, but she missed all her friends (except for Lucy who she spent every day with). She wanted to talk to Draco to make sure he’s doing okay and to have someone to talk to about her dad. She missed Daphne who would have helped make her laugh and make fun of Draco to take her mind off things. And she missed the twins too. She missed Fred, probably not as much as Lucy who kept talking about how they got caught under a mistletoe walking back to the Ravenclaw common room. Nothing happened, all they did was laugh and Fred managed to set it on fire, but Lucy kept bringing it up.

She really really missed George. She knew he would have helped her anyway he could. Would have tried to make her laugh or comfort her if she needed him. The night of Christmas Eve is when she missed him the most. The stress of the holiday had finally hit her, and she broke down that night and cried. She was embarrassed to admit it, but she really wanted one of George’s hugs at that moment. She thought George gave the best hugs in the world, even better than her mom’s. Whenever they hug, she feels all warm inside and she just _knows_ he’s there for her. She would never tell him that though.

Throughout the break, she was also dealing with her anxiety on the Trophy Room Mission. Her and Lucy talked about it when they were alone together and tried to predict what her vision could be. They couldn’t get any good guesses. Whenever she wasn’t dealing with seeing her dad or the rush of the holidays, here mind always came back to this.

The two weeks of anxiety had finally passed, and Maya and Lucy were back at school. Maya felt a mix of relief and also fear as she reentered the castle.

Before the two girls split up, they discussed the plan together.

“Okay, me and the twins will meet outside your common room at midnight,” Lucy said.

Maya nodded. “Then we’ll sneak down and I’ll do my psychic magic thing.”

The two girls hugged quickly then parted ways.

-

Maya was in the Slytherin common room, sitting by the fire and trying to read while Draco was reading the Daily Prophet. Maya couldn’t focus on her book, she had too much nervous energy and could not sit still.

“Your leg won’t stop bouncing,” Draco muttered, turning a page in the Prophet.

“Hm?” Maya said, not looking up.

“I said—” Draco put his hand on her knee to stop the bouncing, “your leg won’t stop bouncing.”

Maya sighed. “Sorry, been in the train all day. Guess I have too much energy.”

Draco squinted his eyes, not falling for it. “What’s really going on?”

“Nothing, I had a coffee this morning too. That probably didn’t help either,” she lied.

Draco accepted defeat and changed the topic. “You hear about the Weasley’s?”

Maya stiffened. “No? What happened?”

“Their father was fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a muggle car,” Draco laughed. “Don’t know how the ministry expects them to pay it off.”

Maya felt terrible. She had no idea this was going on, yet the twins still agreed to sneak out and help tonight.

“It’s not funny, Malfoy,” Maya grumbled. “They’re my friends.”

Draco stopped laughing and frowned. “Right, sorry.”

“You should go to bed, it’s late,” Maya said, not wanting to get into a fight right now. And because it was getting close to midnight.

“Hey, Frances. I’m sorry I forgot—” Draco urged.

“I don’t care,” she snapped and went back to her book.

Draco got up. He figured it would be best to leave her alone for the night and to apologize to her tomorrow.

“Don’t stay up too late,” he said then went up to his dorm.

Once he was out of earshot Maya grabbed a pillow and groaned into it. She felt bad for snapping at Draco, but he deserved it anyways. She also felt bad for not knowing anything about the Weasley’s predicament and wanted nothing more than to help, but not knowing how. It’s not like she had fifty Galleons just laying around in her pocket.

“ _Oooh!”_ A voice from outside the common room sang and Maya sat up immediately.

“ _You can dance!”_

_“You can jive,”_

_“Having the time of your life!”_

“What the fuck?!” Maya whispered and got up. “Who the fuck is singing ABBA at midnight?”

“ _Ooh, see that girl!”_ Then Maya recognized the voice.

She opened the door and Lucy was right in front, the twins behind her.

“ _Watch that scene!”_ Lucy continued to sing completely offkey.

Maya laughed and dropped her face into her hands. “Please stop…”

“ _Digging the dancing queen!”_ Lucy finished, with jazz hands.

“Why?” Maya laughed, silently shutting the door.

“We needed a code,” Lucy said. “So, you knew it was us.”

“So, you chose to sing ABBA?”

“Well it worked didn’t it?” Lucy laughed.

“Well yeah, I could recognize your screeching from a mile away.”

“Hey! I was not screeching! I was blessing everyone with my voice,” Lucy grinned. “Besides, my idea was much better than those two’s.”

Fred seemed offended at that. “Excuse me? Fireworks outside the door would have worked just as well!”

“Yeah and it would have woken everyone up,” Lucy remarked.

“You could have just knocked,” Maya suggested.

George scoffed. “Well that would just be boring, wouldn’t it?”

“You’re right. And god forbid you guys ever did something boring,” Maya rolled her eyes.

“Alright, let’s get this over with. I want sleep,” Lucy said.

Fred and George led the way, knowing every secret passageway in the castle and having the Marauders Map gave them an advantage. Everyone walked in silence, it seemed everyone was just as nervous as Maya had been.

Maya honestly had no idea whether or not she would get a vision. She really hoped she would, but there was no way of actually knowing. If she didn’t get one and brought everyone down with her then she’d feel really bad.

“Alright,” George whispered, “we’re here.”

Maya looked at the door and somehow became even more nervous than before. She had a really bad feeling.

“Fred and Lucy, you two keep lookout. Here’s the map,” George handed the map to Fred. “Maya and I will go in. Hopefully it’ll only take a few minutes.”

Everyone nodded and Maya and George walked in.

The room was a lot bigger than expected. There had to be about a hundred trophy cases around the room, most of them were for quidditch and for all the Head Boys and Head Girls. The room had a golden tint to it, due to all the trophies and looked like it had been polished and cleaned often.

“It’s over here, by the head boys,” George said, walking over to the trophy case.

Maya searched the case until her eyes landed on a golden plate with the name ‘Tom Riddle’ engraved. She wouldn’t be able to get a vision unless she touched the actual trophy, but it was guarded by glass.

Maya took out her wand and pointed it at the case. “ _Evanesco”_ she muttered, and the glass vanished.

She took a deep breath and slowly reached her hand out and touched the golden trophy. The familiar tug in her gut came back and she felt like she was physically pulled into the vision.

She saw a rather handsome teen, around the age 15-16, walking through the castle. He was writing in a diary, similar to the one that Ginny had been writing in. There was then a flash of a dead body, a young girl, being carried through the castle. She kept hearing whispers of “Chamber of Secrets” over and over. She saw a spider as well, one much larger than the one’s she saw the day Justin was petrified. Then something strange happened, something that’s never happened before. The boy stared at her, as if he knew she was there.

“Who are you?” he said.

She tried to speak but couldn’t find her voice. It felt like it was stuck in her throat, but a voice, similar to the snake voices she had heard, spoke for her.

“ _Franceessss_ ,” the voice hissed.

The boy, who Maya assumed as Tom Riddle, glared at her.

“You’re not who I wanted,” he raged, getting angrier by the second. “Show me Potter!” he shouted.

The snake voice hissed “ _Potter_ ” a few times and Maya felt like her legs were being wrapped around by the voices, but she didn’t see anything. She tried screaming for help, but the only thing that could be heard was the hissing for Potter. She felt the snake starting to come around her throat, but she still saw nothing. She stood there frozen until she heard a familiar voice shouting.

“Frances!” the voice screamed.

Maya tried to recognize the voice, she needed it to come back.

“Frances!” It shouted again.

Maya felt like she couldn’t remember anyone in that moment, she was too scared. She closed her eyes trying to focus on the voice. Suddenly warm hands were on her shoulders and the invisible snakes started to fade away.

“Maya!” The voice yelled again.

‘ _George,_ ’ she remembered. Then, she felt another pull, this time taking her back to the present and when she opened her eyes, George had a tight grip on her shoulders and was looking at her with a fearful look on his face.

“We have to go,” he said urgently.

Maya felt dizzy and her legs felt wobbly.

“Sleep,” she murmured.

George shook his head. “No, not yet. We gotta go, _now_.”

But Maya was too exhausted to move. She barely understood what George was saying.

“Can’t,” she whispered, then collapsed onto the ground. She must have seemed delirious because once she fell, she started laughing hysterically.

“George!” Fred shouted from outside the room. “Let’s go!”

George looked back at the door then back at Maya.

“You take Lucy back! Maya’s not looking too good, I’ll bring her to the hospital wing!”

Fred took a minute to respond. “Alright, just be careful. We heard something…”

“We will, take Lucy back quickly!” he shouted back.

Maya was still laughing to herself once the others left.

George bent down to help her. “Frances, I know you’re a little loopy right now, but we really have to go.”

“Go where? I don’t want to; the floor is comfy!” she giggled.

George sighed. He started to pick her up and all the laughter was gone. She felt scared again, like the invisible snakes were back, she closed her eyes and screamed.

“No!” she shouted. “Put me down! Put me down!”

“Maya, it’s just me! Relax!” George panicked, lowering her down to the ground.

She opened her eyes slowly and saw George. Her breathing slowed down slightly and started to relax. George hesitated for a few minutes, then tried again.

“You can’t walk. I’m going to take you to the hospital wing, but I’ll have to carry you. Is that okay?”

‘ _Just George_ ’ she thought. ‘ _He’s good, he won’t hurt me. He gives good hugs.’_

She nodded and George started to pick her up again. He started walking her to the hospital wing, making sure no one was around, though he didn’t care about getting caught that much at the moment.

Maya could barely keep her eyes open; she was exhausted.

“You’re warm,” she muttered, her head lolling back. She felt George’s chest laugh, but she had no control of her words and kept going. “You give good hugs too…”

“You’re gonna forget all this in the morning,” George chuckled, shaking his head.

“I hope so,” she said, then passed out.

-

There was a sharp stabbing pain in her temple when she finally woke again. She heard mumbling and concerned whispers of several people before she even opened her eyes. She squinted her eyes open to try and get an awareness of her surroundings, but the room was brighter than she anticipated and caused her head to pound even more.

“Drink this, dear,” a soothing voice spoke, Madam Pomfrey.

Maya sat up as much as she could and blindly gulped down whatever Madam Pomfrey handed her. The pain subsided enough for her to open her eyes after a few minutes and she smiled gratefully at the gentle woman.

“Feeling better?” She asked.

Maya nodded. “Yeah, a bit. Thanks.”

Madam Pomfrey’s smile was quickly subsided and replaced with a stern look. “Now, I wanted to wait a day or two to let anyone see you and tell you what was happened, but your professors argued it would be best to let you know as soon as you woke.”

“Let me know what?” Maya asked.

“Something occurred last night,” Madam Pomfrey spoke.

“I know that, I was there,” Maya said as if that was obvious.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. “No, you and Mr. Weasley came here before any of it occurred.”

Maya froze. She started to remember her and George leaving the trophy room without Lucy and Fred. She didn’t question it at the time due to her past state, but now she remembered George’s urgency to leave the room after her vision.

“Where’s Lucy and Fred?” she uttered fearfully.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “Both the boys are alright, purebloods.”

“And Lucy?” Maya could barely breathe.

“Mr. Weasley brought her in last night. He has yet to give the full story, he wanted to wait for you to wake, but Miss Higgins had been petrified last night,” Madam Pomfrey stated.

Maya’s heart dropped and her vision became dizzy again. She didn’t know what to do. She felt like her voice was gone and she couldn’t move at all. All she could do was blame herself.

After a few moments of silence, Madam Pomfrey spoke again.

“Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick are here as well. She’s in the bed next to you outside your curtain. Whenever you’re ready you may see her.” Then she got up to leave.

Maya didn’t wait one more second and instantly got up, ignoring how weak her legs felt. She pulled back the curtain and saw her best friend lying completely still on her bed, eyes opened wide and filled with fear. The twins were there as well, looking just as stressed as the professors, but relaxed a bit more when they saw Maya.

“Good morning, Miss Frances,” Dumbledore spoke. “How are you feeling?”

All Maya could do in response was shrug, she didn’t want to look her Headmaster in the eyes.

“Let’s get straight to it then, shall we?” he suggested.

“It’s my fault,” Maya muttered quietly, finally finding her voice.

“Frances, no, it was my fault,” Fred urged.

“It does not matter who’s at fault here,” Dumbledore said. “It is clear you are all full of regret and learned from your mistakes. Miss Higgins would not have wanted you to blame each other.”

The two nodded, but Maya still blamed herself.

“Now, Mr. Weasley. If you could explain what happened please?” Dumbledore continued.

Fred looked at Maya unsure if she wanted him to tell it from the beginning or if she should. Maya nodded and took charge.

“After Justin got petrified, I wanted to do more to help,” she started. “I told everyone about my visions and about a name I heard. Fred and George mentioned how there was a trophy in the trophy room with that name. It was my idea to sneak in and try to see if I could get a vision that might help.” Maya then looked directly into her Headmaster’s eyes. “None of them thought it was a good idea, please if you’re going to punish anyone let it be me. I made them all sneak out, they tried telling me it was dangerous, but I didn’t listen.”

McGonagall seemed shocked at the idea of the twins hesitating towards breaking a rule and looked at them questioningly.

“Don’t look too surprised, Professor,” Fred said, finally giving his trademark grin.

“Yeah, we may not be fond of the rules but even _we_ have our limits,” George smiled.

That seemed to make the others all chuckle for a moment, feeling more at ease.

“So, what happened after you arrived at the room?” Dumbledore said, bringing them back to topic.

Fred frowned again. “George and Maya went in and Lucy and I kept lookout. It was going fine for a bit, but then Lucy said she heard something.” He looked down at his hands nervously. “We started to knock on the door to let George know, but they started to take too long. Lucy said she was going to try and get a better look at what she heard and walked forward. I shouldn’t have let her, but she wouldn’t have listened anyways. By the time I found her she was on the ground.”

“Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Weasley. We will spread the news of Miss Higgins to the school and take more caution going forward,” Dumbledore said to Fred then looked at Maya. “Miss Frances, did you succeed to have a vision like you suspected?”

Maya felt everyone’s eyes on her, and she shuffled awkwardly. “Yes, Professor.”

Dumbledore nodded. “Would you mind explaining what you saw? Anything can be helpful.”

Maya hesitated at first. What she saw terrified her and didn’t want to relive it again, but she had to, for Lucy. She began to explain everything. The boy she saw writing in a diary, the young girl who lay dead, and all the whispers she heard. She didn’t tell them about how she felt stuck, but she did explain how the man seemed disappointed to see her and wanted to see Harry instead.

Everyone was silent for a moment before McGonagall spoke.

“Miss Frances, you have had several visions before, but have never reacted this badly after. Do you have any idea why this one left you so weak?” She asked, seeming to be the only other professor concerned with the student’s health.

Maya shook her head. “I don’t know, maybe because it was because I saw more than I usually do. They’ve been more aggressive this year, but I don’t exactly know why.”

McGonagall was about to speak when Dumbledore cut her off.

“We will help you in the future, so you don’t react as badly. Thank you for all of your help and advise the rest of you take it easy for the rest of the day,” he said. “I have to go back to my office and will send a letter to Miss Higgins’ family.” Then he left with McGonagall and Flitwick following.

-

A few weeks had passed, and Maya and the twins spent every day in the Hospital Wing after classes or during meals. They would all sit around Lucy’s bed and talk, eat, or sometimes play games of exploding snap. They found Harry and Ron visiting quite often throughout the weeks, but they visited for Hermione who refused to show her face, _especially_ in front of the twins. Maya didn’t question it and they would chat from different sides of the curtain.

Maya often found herself feeling restless. All she wanted to do was figure out more and help as much as she could, but Dumbledore and McGonagall advised her to lay low for a while. She took their advice begrudgingly and spent most of her days either with Lucy and the twins in the hospital wing, or in the library studying and doing homework, she always had to keep herself occupied.

When Draco had first found out about her sneaking out, he was mad at Maya. They fought for a bit about how it was dangerous, and she could have gotten hurt, but when she told him about what happened to Lucy, he realized how upset she had been and stopped fighting. To her surprise, he even visited the hospital wing with her sometimes, but never when the twins were there.

One day she was sitting there with Draco, both studying quietly next to Lucy’s bed, when Harry and Ron came in again to visit Hermione. Maya smiled and waved at them and Draco ignored them but became uneasy. The two boys went behind the curtain and Draco stood up.

“I’m going to go back to the common room, if that’s alright,” he said.

Maya nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. I’m going to stay here a bit longer.”

Draco gave her hand a squeeze then left. She sat alone for a bit reading her book, but too busy thinking instead. She tried thinking of several different ways she can try to help, but all her potential ideas would cause too much of a risk. It was also nearly impossible to do anything now that she was barely allowed to be alone nowadays.

She didn’t blame the twins or her other friends for not wanting her to be alone, but she missed being able to walk around the castle without the fear of potentially dying or getting petrified. With that thought, she realized that she was currently alone, and she would have to wait until Fred or George came to the hospital wing to walk her back to the common room.

She sighed and once again tried to read. Another twenty minutes passed when Ron and Harry came out from the curtain and said goodbye to Hermione. Maya barely even noticed them until Harry walked over to her.

“Hey,” he said, Ron following and coming over.

Maya closed her book. “Hey.”

“You want to head out with us?” he asked carefully.

She looked back at Lucy then back at the two boys. She probably should head back to the common room and didn’t want to wait longer for one of the twins to come by.

She smiled at Harry. “Sure, thanks.”

As they walked out together Ron started to speak.

“Isn’t Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you’ve ever met, or what?”

Maya scrunched up her face. “ _Smarmiest_?”

“Yeah, like fake or irritating,” Ron answered, laughing at her confusion.

“You Brits use the weirdest words,” she laughed.

“Sorry, what would you prefer I say?” Ron suggested, trying to contain his laughter.

“I—"she started but was cut short by an angry outburst not too far away.

“That’s Filch,” Harry muttered as they all hurried up the stairs, listening.

“You don’t think someone else’s been attacked?” Ron exclaimed fearfully.

Maya tensed up and tried climbing up more stairs to get a better hear.

“— _even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven’t got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I’m going to Dumbledore—”_

They heard his footsteps march out of sight and a door slam.

They all looked at each other and turned around a corner to see what the outburst had been about. There was a huge flood of water in the corridor and it stretched from the direction of the bathroom that Maya realized was the bathroom that everyone avoided, Moaning Myrtle’s.

“ _Now_ what’s up with her?” said Ron.

Maya raised an eyebrow at him. “How do you know Moaning Myrtle? That’s a _girl’s_ bathroom.”

“We’ll explain later,” Harry said. “Let’s go and see what happened.”

They lifted their robes above their ankles as they sloshed through the water, desperate not to get them wet.

“Ugh! My socks are wet!” Maya complained.

As they walked inside, they found an “Out of Order” sign on the door and the room was dark. Moaning Myrtle seemed to be crying louder than usual and was sat on her usual toilet. Maya realized immediately that this was the bathroom she had seen in her visions, she suspected that before, but this confirmed it.

“What’s up, Myrtle?” said Harry.

“Who’s that?” Myrtle cried miserably. “Come to throw something else at me?”

Harry moved through the flood and headed to her stall. “Why would I throw something at you?”

“Don’t ask me,” Myrtle shouted causing more water to splash around the floor. “Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it’s funny to throw a book at me…”

“But it can’t hurt you if someone throws something at you,” Harry said making a fair point. “I mean, it’d just go right through you, wouldn’t it?”

Maya and Ron chuckled lightly at Harry’s reasonable point, but instantly regretted it once Myrtle shrieked.

“Let’s all throw books at Myrtle, because _she_ can’t feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach. Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I _don’t_ think!”

“Actually, sounds kinda fun to me,” Maya muttered to Ron who cracked a smile.

Harry chose to ignore them and asked Myrtle a question. “Who threw it at you, anyway?”

“ _I_ don’t know…I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head,” said Myrtle, glaring at Maya. “It’s over there, it got washed out…”

Harry, Ron, and Maya all looked in the direction she was pointing at and found a small, thin book. It was black, shabby, and as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Maya gasped, recognizing the black book from her visions, but the others didn’t seem to notice.

Harry stepped forward to pick it up, but Ron flung out an arm to hold him back.

“What?” said Harry.

“Are you crazy?” Ron exclaimed. “It could be dangerous.”

“ _Dangerous_?” Harry laughed. “Come off it, how could it be dangerous?”

“You’d be surprised,” said Ron who stared at the book apprehensively. “Some of the books at the Ministry’s confiscated – Dad’s told me – there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read _Sonnets of a Sorcerer_ spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that could _never stop reading_! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And—”

“All right, I’ve got the point,” said Harry.

They stood there silently staring at the book until Harry spoke up again.

“Well, we won’t find out unless we look at it,” he said then tried picking it up again.

“Wait!” Maya shouted.

“What?!” Harry said starting to get frustrated.

She ignored his frustration. “I’ve seen that book. In a few of my visions, I’ve seen Ginny writing in it and that Tom Riddle guy.”

“Ginny wrote in it?” Ron asked. “How could she have gotten it?”

“I don’t know…maybe she found it somewhere?”

“I’m picking the book up,” Harry decided and picked it up. He flipped through it with a confused look on his face. “It’s empty. No one ever wrote in it.”

“That’s impossible! I saw both of them writing in it!” Maya swore.

“Look, there’s nothing here!” Harry tossed it to her.

Maya caught it and flipped through just as Harry had and found every single page completely blank.

“What the hell? That makes no sense!”

Harry shrugged, just as confused.

“I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?” said Ron curiously.

Maya gave the book back to Harry and he turned to the back cover and read the printed name of the store it’s from.

“If this was originally Tom Riddle’s, he must’ve been Muggle-born,” Harry thought out loud. “To have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road…”

“Well, it’s not much use to you,” said Ron. He dropped his voice. “Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle’s nose.”

Maya snorted, but Harry pocketed the book anyways.

-

A month had passed since then and it was now Valentine’s Day. Since they found the diary in the bathroom, Maya, Ron, Harry, and Hermione had been working together to try and figure out any significance.

Not today, though. On Valentine’s Day Maya spent most of the day in the hospital wing with Fred and George. Mostly to be there for Lucy, but also to avoid the singing Valentine’s Day trolls that Lockhart let into the castle.

The three of them took their dinner in the hospital wing and ate together. Fred and George kept singing Ginny’s poem for Harry and laughing, and Maya just ignored them and read her book. She would admit, though, it was nice to see Fred laughing. He’d been very unlike himself since Lucy was petrified and even George had noticed and been worried. He still pulled pranks, of course, but the usual mischievous look in his eye had been gone.

After about the tenth time of hearing “His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad”, however, Maya started to get slightly annoyed.

“You two are just jealous you didn’t get a poem for yourself,” Maya mumbled, not looking up from her book.

The twins went silent and looked at her, jaws hung open.

“What?” George said.

“I think Ginny was brave to write a poem to her crush. You two are just upset you didn’t get one,” she said, laughing at their faces.

“Oh, please,” Fred scoffed. “Jealous of Harry? Not likely.”

Maya rolled eyes and went back to her book. “Sure, okay.”

“What? Did _you_ get a singing troll for Valentine’s Day?” George chuckled.

Maya’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Draco had shocked her and got her some chocolates for the holiday, but she didn’t tell anyone.

“Not a troll, no. But I did get chocolates,” she smirked, hoping none of them saw her pink face.

“What?!” They both shouted.

“From who?” George cried.

“Doesn’t matter,” she said nonchalantly.

“I bet it was Malfoy,” George implied. When Maya didn’t say anything, his jaw dropped again. “Gross! It _was_ Malfoy!”

Fred started to gag.

“Oh, shut up!” Maya groaned and threw her napkin at him.

“Careful when eating them,” Fred suggested, “they might be poisoned.”

Maya rolled her eyes and let them go back to their teasing.

Another hour had passed, and George started to yawn.

“I think I’m gonna head back up, you want me to walk you down to your common room first, Frances?” he asked.

Maya nodded and looked at Fred who was frowning again, then hesitated. “Give me a minute, I’ll meet you outside, okay?”

He agreed and stepped outside, leaving Maya and Fred alone.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” she said quietly.

Fred looked at her and tried to smile, not wanting her to see him sad.

“I know, don’t worry about that,” he lied.

Maya shook her head. “That’s a load of crap and we both know it.”

He stared at her and let his fake smile fall as she continued.

“I know it’s hard. I’ve been blaming myself too, but she wouldn’t have wanted that. She probably just wants us to keep investigating and to _enjoy_ our year instead of moping,” Maya sympathized.

“But it _is_ my fault!” Fred exclaimed. “I shouldn’t have let her go off like that, it was stupid of me!”

“Yeah, maybe. But it was also stupid of me to make you all sneak out just to get a vision that barely even helped anyways,” she replied.

“I just miss her,” he whispered, looking down.

Maya smiled and moved to sit next to him.

“I do too, she’s my best friend,” she said and placed a hand on his shoulder. “But she’ll be back before we know it. And knowing her, when she comes back, she’ll probably just laugh about it.”

She seemed to have said the right thing because it made Fred smile, a real smile.

“She would, wouldn’t she?” he laughed. “She probably would have loved the singing trolls today too. I think I would have gotten her one just to embarrass her.”

Maya snorted. “Your poetry is something I don’t think anyone wants to hear.”

Fred laughed. “I’d mention the brown of her eyes being the shade of poo.”

“Yeah, she’d definitely love that,” Maya teased.

They laughed for a few more seconds and Maya realized she should go before George waits too long.

“You sure you don’t want to come with Georgie and I?” she asked him.

Fred shook his head. “Nah, I’ll stay a bit longer, but not too late. Still want to tease Harry more over the poem.”

Maya nodded and started to get up when Fred took her arm suddenly.

“Thank you,” he said, honestly. “You shouldn’t blame yourself either.”

Maya smiled at him and gave him a quick hug before leaving. As she left, she did notice him slip a small piece of paper under Lucy’s pillow and a small blush on his face, but she never said anything.

-

A few months passed since then and a new discovery had been made. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Maya learned that Hagrid may have been the one who last opened the Chamber of Secrets and Tom Riddle was the one who supposedly caught him.

To Maya, this seemed very unlikely. She had only ever spoken to Hagrid once before, but he didn’t seem like the guy who would do something like that. And after her vision with Tom Riddle, well honestly, _he_ seemed like the type of guy who _would_ do that. But the trio made her promise to not talk to Hagrid unless there was another attack. She still wanted to march up to his hut herself and ask him for an answer, but she made her promise and wouldn’t break it.

Fred started to feel better after their chat, which made Maya feel better as well. They all still continued to visit Lucy as much as they could, though.

Now that spring was practically here, the second years faced the excitement of choosing new classes for the next year. When Maya first saw the list, all the classes made no sense, but then she let Draco explain them to her.

During a free period, all second year Slytherins sat at their table discussing their options.

“Frances, you should take Muggle Studies,” Blaise suggested.

Maya laughed. “Why would I do that? I grew up with muggles.”

“Exactly!” he pointed out. “You would easily pass that class!”

Maya did take that into consideration but shook her head. “I honestly think I would just get bored. But if you took it, I would definitely help you out.”

“Can’t, think my parents would have my head if I signed up for that class,” he sighed.

“I think I’m gonna take it,” Daphne said proudly. “I want to know what you and Lucy talk about sometimes, and if it pisses off my parents, then oh well.”

Maya smiled at her and they high fived.

In all honesty, Maya had no idea what to take. She signed up for Care of Magical Creatures because Draco did and it did sound interesting enough, but everything else seemed pretty strange.

“What if you took Divination?” Draco suggested.

“Nah, I can already technically see the future. I don’t want to look through a glass ball and have to make something up.”

Draco agreed, he found the class pretty ridiculous himself. Maya absolutely refused Arithmancy once someone mentioned that math was involved.

“I think I’ll do Study of Ancient Runes, that seems pretty cool,” she finally decided and wrote it down. Two classes seemed more than enough in her opinion and she spent the rest of her time joking around with her friends. Suddenly, an owl appeared, and a note dropped in front of her.

She read it out loud to her friends.

“ _Miss Frances,_

_Please come to my office tomorrow evening._

_The password is lemon drop._

_Thank you,_

_Headmaster Dumbledore”_

Everyone looked at her as she reread the note to herself a few more times.

“What do you think he wants?” Daphne asked.

“I have no idea…”

“Did you and the twins pull a big prank? Are you getting expelled?” she urged.

“Daphne, really, I got no clue,” she confirmed.

-

When the next day came, Maya became anxious. She had no idea what Dumbledore could possibly want and thought maybe Lucy’s condition had somehow gotten worse, but then the twins probably would have gotten a note as well.

There was a quidditch match today, Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff, but Maya didn’t feel like going. She was too anxious and apologized to Fred, George, and Harry about missing out, but they understood.

Instead, Maya went to the hospital wing and sat with Lucy. She thought about what classes Lucy might like to take next year and laughed at the thought of her being in Arithmancy, both Lucy and Maya hated math and were relieved to find out there was no required math class in Hogwarts.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the hospital wing doors blasted open. A few professors helped carrying something in and Madam Pomfrey came out immediately to help. As Maya got a closer look, she realized that it wasn’t some _thing_ but was instead some _one_. Two people, in fact.

Two people were carried to a bed and Madam Pomfrey moved around frantically to help. Maya stepped closer, trying not to be caught staring, and gasped when she saw who it was. Hermione Granger was in a bed petrified.

She backed up and hid behind Lucy’s curtains and tried to calm down, but she couldn’t. She kept asking herself how she let this happen? She should have gone to Hagrid and put an end to this, Ron and Harry are going to be devastated.

A few minutes later and the two boys came inside quickly.

“ _Hermione_!” Ron cried out.

Maya listened as McGonagall spoke.

“They were found near the library. I don’t suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them…”

Maya peeked again and saw McGonagall hold up a small circular mirror.

Both boys shook their heads and the professor sighed.

“I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower—”

“Wait!” Maya shouted, causing them to jump. “Er…sorry. Can I talk to them first, Professor? Please?”

McGonagall nodded and the boys came over to her.

“We need to talk to Hagrid, _now_ ,” she whispered as soon as they got close enough.

“Agreed,” Ron said, “but how?”

Maya seemed stumped, but Harry’s eyes widened.

“My dad’s cloak,” he said to Ron, leaving Maya confused.

“What cloak?” she asked.

“I’ve got an invisibility cloak, we can use it tonight to talk to Hagrid,” he said.

Maya frowned. “I can’t tonight…I’ve got my meeting with Dumbledore.”

McGonagall started walking back towards them and Harry spoke quickly.

“Ron and I will go, we’ll let you know what we find out as soon as possible, promise.”

“I believe I should escort all three of you as I don’t want anyone walking alone,” McGonagall spoke to them and looked at Maya. “Miss Frances, I have just been informed that your head of house will take you to your meeting with Dumbledore tonight for safety purposes.”

Maya groaned. “Ugh, Snape?”

McGonagall tried to hide a smile. “Sorry, dear, but a student’s safety always comes first.”

That night there was a new rule that students can’t leave their House common rooms after six in the evening, but Maya was still required to speak with Dumbledore.

Snape entered the common room to get Maya and she started to feel even more anxious.

“Ready Miss Frances?” Snape droned.

Maya nodded and walked over to him.

They walked in silence which she was grateful for, spending extra time with Snape was not something Maya had ever wished for.

When they arrived, Snape told her he would be waiting outside for them to finish, so he can take her back. She thanked him begrudgingly then made her way up the stairs.

Inside Dumbledore’s office was absolutely breathtaking. It was very large and very lively. There were paintings everywhere, she assumed most of them had been past headmasters. There were antiques and strange looking objects all around the room and she wanted to poke and prod with every single one of them.

“Over here, Miss Frances,” Dumbledore spoke from his desk and smiled at her.

Maya walked over slowly, still taking in the office.

“Your office is really cool,” she said to him as she sat down.

He chuckled lightly. “Thank you, I find that every day a new room in the castle surprises me. I hope my office was your surprise for today.”

Maya smiled at him in response.

“Now, you may be wondering why I called you here?” he suggested, and she nodded. “Well, as you know, you have been given an opportunity to choose new classes for next year.”

“Yeah, is that what you wanted to talk to me about? I thought we gave our classes to our Head of House at the end of the year?” Maya asked.

“Ah, yes, you’re right. I did want to speak with you about your options, however,” he urged.

“If you’re worried about me cheating and taking the Muggle Studies class, I decided not to,” she joked.

“That’s good, I suspect you and several other muggleborns would become bored of that class quite quickly,” he chuckled. “No, I actually wanted to speak with you about a different class. Divination.”

Maya sighed. “I didn’t sign up for that class. I figured it might be pointless if I can already technically see the future.”

“Perhaps, but nothing is pointless. I feel it may be able to help your situation, actually,” he argued.

Maya thought quietly for a moment before she spoke.

“How so?”

“In that class you are taught how to read the future and what it means. Professor Trelawney is very gifted on this subject.”

“But I don’t understand,” Maya admitted. “I can already read the future; I just touch things and I see things.”

He smiled at her again. “You are an amusing pupil, Miss Frances,” he said. “But correct me if I’m wrong, most of the time you cannot control your visions, yes?”

She nodded.

“I think if you took this class and if I spoke with Professor Trelawney about your condition, she may be able to give you extra lessons and help you get better control. You will gain a better understanding _and_ will hopefully feel less weak after each vision.”

Maya did agree that he had a point and that getting control over this will make her feel much better, but she was also a bit afraid.

“I’m not quite sure that I want to be completely in control. What if I miss something important because I held off a vision?” she admitted.

“But what if you were capable of finding something even more important?” Dumbledore counteracted and stared at her through his glasses.

“I don’t know…”

“By gaining a stronger control, you may be able to find a deeper meaning to your visions. There’s a reason why you are here, Miss Frances. You have helped us greatly, but you can try to help more,” he pressed harder on the issue.

“I know but—”

“Last year Professor Quirrell had threatened you and forced a vision upon you, by taking this class we can avoid something like this happening again.”

Maya sighed and realized no matter how hard she tried; Dumbledore wouldn’t take no for an answer. She knew he was trying to help, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated at him for not letting her explain her fear. But, in the end, she decided to just go along with him for now and if the class was that bad, she can at least say she tried.

“Alright, I’ll sign up,” she said, accepting defeat.

“Wonderful, thank you, Miss Frances. And please, stay safe, Hogwarts is not as safe as it used to be this year,” he said then started to get up. “Now, I have an important meeting to attend, so I’ll leave it to Snape to help you get back safely.”

Snape was outside the door like he said he’d be and sneered at her upset expression, then lead her back to the common room.

-

Summer was coming and everything had changed at school. Hospital wing visits were no longer permitted, and professors advised students spend as much time in their common rooms as possible. The biggest change though, was Dumbledore and Hagrid leaving.

Harry and Ron told Maya what happened the next day in their potions class, and she hated the fact that they threw Hagrid into Azkaban with no second thought. They also told her about his advice to “follow the spiders”, but Maya told them that whenever they plan to go on that mission, she should probably stay back. She knew that if spiders were involved, she would be of no help, and while Ron told her it’s okay since he is also terrified of spiders, they decided it would be best if they did it alone.

The day after Harry and Ron had their spider mission, they told Maya that Hagrid was innocent and never opened the Chamber of Secrets. She couldn’t tell if she should be relieved, or guilty because they caught the wrong person.

Harry also told her about their realization that the person who died from the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago was Moaning Myrtle the whole time. Maya was so impressed with the both of them that she gave them two big hugs in return. They agreed to find a way to talk to Myrtle without getting caught as soon as possible.

On one of the last few weeks of term, there was news of the Mandrakes being ready and that everyone who had been petrified will get the help they need no later than the next day. Maya sat with the twins in the Great Hall excitedly as they spoke about what they would tell Lucy once she was back.

Fred had just made a joke making everyone laugh when Maya started to feel dizzy. Her sight instantly became unclear and she heard the snake voices again, she felt herself get another vision and grabbed George’s wrist tightly, trying to hold onto a piece of reality before the vision took over. It happened very quickly, a quick glimpse, but what she saw was enough to fill her entire body with fear. She saw Ginny lying unconscious in what Maya could only assume was the Chamber of Secrets. Before she could say anything, an announcement had been made.

“ _All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please._ ”

Everyone who had been studying or chatting with their friends in the Great Hall got up frantically and ran to their dormitories as fast as they could. Fred, George, and Maya joined the chaos and started to move quickly when Maya stopped them abruptly.

“Frances? What’s wrong?” George asked, watching everyone run around.

She looked into his eyes and spoke. “It’s Ginny, it took Ginny.”

Both Fred and George’s eyes widened with fear, but before anyone could say anything, someone had run in between the group and made them split up. She lost sight of them, but hoped they were okay.

Maya knew the reasonable thing to do was to go back to the dormitories, but she couldn’t sit back and do nothing. She knew Harry and Ron would agree and ran to Myrtle’s bathroom instead. No one was there, but if she was able to guess correctly, Harry and Ron would be there soon enough.

Sure enough, they eventually showed up, but with Lockhart as well.

Harry saw her and was taken aback for a moment. “Frances? What are you doing here?”

“I know Ginny’s in trouble. I want to help. I saw a vision and assumed the Chamber of Secrets was here and I waited for you guys,” she said, eyeing Lockhart suspiciously. “Why’s he here?”

“Not important,” Harry said hurriedly.

Moaning Myrtle suddenly appeared. “Oh, it’s you,” she said when she saw Harry. “What do you want this time?”

“To ask you how you died,” said Harry.

Myrtle looked beyond flattered by this question and answered him honestly and happily. As she explained the story of her death, everything started to make sense in Maya’s mind. While she was doing all that studying and reading in the hospital wing with Lucy, she read a book about Basilisks and how dangerous they are. The snake voices and the petrification all made sense now. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk.

When Harry asked Myrtle where she had died, she pointed at where Lockhart was standing, and he looked terrified. Maya recognized the sink from her vision and cursed herself for not figuring it out sooner.

“The taps never worked,” said Myrtle brightly as Harry tried turning on the tap.

“Harry,” said Ron. “Say something. Something in Parseltongue.”

“But—” then Harry paused. He stared at the sink for a moment then spoke again. “Open up.”

He looked at Maya and Ron, but they shook their heads.

“English,” Ron said.

Harry tried again, this time squinting his eyes and really focusing on the sink. When he opened his mouth, he spoke with hisses. In an instant the tap glowed a bright white light and began to spin. Then, the sink started to move and sink completely out of sight leaving a large pipe wide enough for someone to slide into.

“I’m going down there,” Harry decided not wasting a breath.

“Me too,” said Ron.

Maya stared into the pipe and considered how dangerous this is considering she’s a muggleborn, but ultimately decided she didn’t care.

“Me as well,” she said.

“Well, you hardly seem to need me,” said Lockhart with a shadow of a smile. “I’ll just—”

He reached for the doorknob, but all three students pointed their wands at him.

He let go of the door and approached the opening with caution

“Kids,” he said, his voice feeble. “Kids, what good will it do?”

Without a second to waste, Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand and Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe.

“I really don’t think—” he started to say, but Ron gave him a push and he slid out of sight.

Harry and Ron followed after and Maya went down last.

The pipe going down was dark and slimy and when she landed at the bottom the ground was just as wet and gross.

“How far down do you think we are?” Maya asked once she gained her balance back.

“Must be miles under the school,” said Harry, his voice echoing.

“Under the lake, probably,” Ron said.

“ _Lumos!_ ” Harry muttered and his wand lit. “C’mon,” he said to the group and they all followed him.

The tunnel was so dark they could only see a small distance ahead of them. Maya lit her wand as well for a bit of help.

“Remember,” Harry said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, “any sign of movement, close your eyes right away…”

They walked further in silence until Ron took notice of something.

“Harry – there’s something up there –” he said.

Everyone froze and watched. Maya could see the outline of something huge and weirdly curved, lying throughout the tunnel, but not moving.

“Maybe it’s asleep,” Harry breathed.

Harry and Maya slowly raised their wands and directed the light at the obscure figure. They noticed that it was just a huge patch of snakeskin, but it did very little to comfort them. The creature it had come from had to have been at least twenty feet long.

“Blimey,” said Ron weakly.

There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart’s knees had given away.

Maya rolled her eyes at him as Ron told him to get up and pointed his wand at him.

In an instant, Lockhart was on his feet and dived at Ron. Maya and Harry jumped towards them to stop him, but it was too late. Lockhart got hold of Ron’s wand.

“The adventure ends here!” he said. “I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you three _tragically_ lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body – say goodbye to your memories!”

He raised Ron’s wand and shouted, “ _Obliviate!_ ”

The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb. Everyone ducked and took cover and Harry ran quickly out of the way. Suddenly chunks of the ceiling were collapsing and the group had been divided. Harry had been caught on the other side of the rubble, leaving Ron, Maya, and Lockhart on the other side.

“Ron! Maya!” Harry shouted. “Are you guys okay?”

“We’re here!” Maya shouted back.

“We’re okay,” Ron announced. “This git’s not, though – he got blasted by the wand –” Another rock fell and hit Lockhart in the head. “What now?” Ron asked. “We can’t get through – it’ll take ages…”

Maya agreed, by the time they would finish clearing off the rocks, Ginny could already be dead.

“Wait there,” Harry called to them. “Wait with Lockhart. I’ll go on…If I’m not back in an hour…”

There was a very long pause. It was then that everyone realized just how much danger they had gotten themselves into.

“Maya and I will try and shift some of this rock,” Ron suggested, trying to keep his voice steady. “So you can – can get back through. And Harry—”

“See you in a bit,” Harry said, trying to sound confident.

Maya and Ron stared at each other fearfully.

Maya gulped down her fear and tried to remain confident. “He’ll be fine…let’s just try to move the rocks for now.”

Ron nodded and they worked together as quickly as they could. They worked in silence for a long time until Lockhart started to groan.

“Oh no…” Ron groaned.

“Well, this place seems peculiar?” Lockhart thought out loud.

“Really? I thought it was comforting,” Maya said sarcastically as she moved a rather large rock.

“Who are you two young children?” he asked curiously.

Maya and Ron exchanged a confused look then Ron turned back towards Lockhart.

“Do you…Do you know your name?” Ron asked him.

Lockhart seemed stumped. “Huh…guess not. That’s strange!”

Maya sighed. “Well at least he won’t be a dick anymore.”

Ron laughed and they went back to moving the rubble.

After a half hour, they finally heard Harry again.

“Ron!” he yelled. “Ginny’s okay! I’ve got her!”

Ron cheered and turned his eager face towards the big gap they created while moving the rocks.

“ _Ginny!_ ” Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. “You’re alive! I don’t believe it! What happened? How – what – where did that bird come from?”

Suddenly a giant bird flew through the gap immediately after Ginny.

“He’s Dumbledore’s,” Harry said, making his way through after the bird.

“Whoa!” Maya gawked. “How’d you get a sword?”

“I’ll explain when we get out of here,” said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever.

Maya moved to comfort Ginny and wrapped an arm around her as she cried.

“But—” Ron started.

“Later,” Harry said shortly. “Where’s Lockhart?”

Ron explained Lockhart’s current state to Harry as Maya continued to comfort Ginny.

“It’s my fault,” she muttered through her tears.

Maya squeezed her tightly. “It’s okay, it’s not your fault. You’re okay now.”

But Ginny continued to cry.

“Have you thought how we’re going to get back up this?” Harry asked Ron and Maya.

They both shook their heads, but the bird had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him.

“He looks like he wants you to grab hold…” said Ron, looking perplexed. “But you’re much too heavy for a bird to pull up there—”

“Fawkes,” said Harry, “isn’t an ordinary bird.” Then he explained how everyone needed to grab hold of each other so they could fly out together, safely.

As they took flight Lockhart seemed to be having the time of his life.

“Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!” he shouted.

The flight was quick and suddenly they landed on the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom and the sink went back into its original place.

Once they arrived back safely, everything was a blur. Fawkes directed them to McGonagall’s office where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waited eagerly for their daughter to return safely. Harry had explained everything that happened, including the spiders and what he had found out before they entered the chamber. Then Dumbledore explained how Ginny had been enchanted by You-Know-Who through the use of his diary. When Maya found out Tom Riddle was actually You-Know-Who the whole time, she stopped listening. Everything became too much, and she started to feel exhausted, and hungry.

What caught Maya’s attention again was when Dumbledore spoke of the Mandrakes.

“You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She’s just giving out Mandrake juice – I daresay the basilisk’s victims will be waking up any moment.”

“So, Hermione’s okay!” Ron said brightly.

Maya shuffled awkwardly. “Um…Professor if it’s alright—”

Dumbledore smiled. “Yes, Miss Frances. You may go see your friend.”

Maya smiled brightly and ran out as fast as she could.

When she got to the hospital wing, she looked around frantically, searching for her best friend, and then found her with the twins already there with her.

Then, as if Lucy could sense her, she turned and saw Maya standing by the entrance and they smiled.

Maya ran to her without another second to waste and they embraced tightly. She never wanted to let go if she could help it. The exhaustion of the night hit her suddenly and tears started to pour, causing her best friends’ shoulder to get wet.

Eventually they let go and Maya sniffled.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to get you wet,” she laughed.

Lucy shrugged. “Don’t care as long as you don’t get snot on me,” and she poked her tongue out at her.

“How are you feeling?” Maya asked.

“Hungry,” Lucy said quickly. “And tired.”

“Tired?!” Fred gawked. “You’ve practically been asleep for _months_ how could you still be _tired_?”

Lucy laughed. “I value my sleep, what can I say?”

Dumbledore declared a feast for everyone as a celebration of everyone’s safe return. Pretty much everyone at the feast was in pajamas, but they were all too happy to care.

As the group of four made their way to the Great Hall to get Lucy some proper food, George held Maya back a bit.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, letting Fred and Lucy walk ahead of them.

“For what?” Maya asked.

“For bringing Ginny back, for helping Fred not be super depressed while Lucy was petrified, and for not turning into a slimy git like Malfoy,” he said, teasing at the last comment.

“I barely did anything, thank Harry. He did the most,” Maya admitted.

“Not just today, but the whole year you tried to help,” he said.

“Well, after almost dying last year, you learn that it’s not that fun and try to avoid it in the future,” she joked, making George snort.

They walked to the Great Hall in comfortable silence and split up to their tables once they arrived.

Draco scolded her like a mother would once she sat down next to her. Telling her about all the stupid risks she took, but she didn’t care. She was just happy that her best friend was back and that there was food in front of her.

-

The rest of the term flew by. The twins, Maya, and Lucy made up for lost time by spending almost every day together. At night Maya would relax in the Room of Choices with Draco. Everything felt perfect for the first time in a long time.

Maya was worried about the summer to come. Worried about her parents, her siblings, and how her mom might react when she tells her about how she put herself in danger. But she never worried too much. Because if there was one thing, she learned this year, it was that she had really good friends who would always be there for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally end of year 2 which means WE GET LUPIN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!  
> Hope you all enjoyed and follow my Tumblr for updates @miaafrances


	9. Chapter 9: Year 3- Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Frances? Do you have a crush on Diggory?” Fred asked, still laughing.  
> “No,” she said, too fast.  
> “Oh my god!” Lucy gasped. “You do, don’t you! Why wouldn’t you tell me?”  
> “It’s not a crush, I just don’t hate the way he looks,” Maya said, then turned to George. “And what’s your problem? You were being rude.”  
> Fred laughed even harder. “He’s jealous—”  
> -  
> A hot murderer is on the loose, there's a new DADA professor, and there are scary dementors at Hogwarts

This Summer compared to last years was significantly better. There were no drastic changes, and she was able to spend two months as normal as a thirteen-year-old witch could.

Lucy and her spent time with some of their muggle friends they made before going to Hogwarts which was always fun until they would question the two girls about their secret private school in England. Whenever that happened Maya and Lucy would take turns changing the topic or creating some lie about it being an art school.

Sometimes, however, it can be hard to create a good enough lie. Especially when your wizard friends send letters in the muggle mail and you accidentally open it in front of your friends.

Maya and Lucy were having a picnic in Maya’s backyard one hot afternoon when Maya’s mom interrupted to give Maya a letter that had come for her. She recognized the handwriting as George’s immediately and was too excited to care if her muggle friends saw it or not. Lucy had also recognized her friends handwriting and scooted over closer to Maya to get a better look.

Once she opened it, she realized it was a cover from the _Daily Prophet_ explaining how the Weasley had won the annual _Daily Prophet_ Grand Prize Galleon Draw, whatever the hell that meant. There was a quote from Arthur mentioning how they will take a trip as a family to visit Bill in Egypt.

Maya and Lucy smiled happily for the family, who they both felt deserved this trip more than any other family and were glad they had won. However, blinded by their happiness, too late they noticed there was a photograph of the family smiling and waving, hands moving back and forth in the image.

“Did that photo just _move_?!” One of their muggle friends asked.

Maya quickly closed the prophet, put it behind her back, and cursed herself for being so careless.

“What? No! Don’t be ridiculous, pictures can’t move,” she said, looking at Lucy for help.

“Yeah, you should get your eyes checked,” Lucy said and laughed to sound convincing.

Their muggle friends questioned them a bit further, but eventually they gave it up. For the rest of that Summer Maya and Lucy were extra cautious and made sure to never open letters in front of their muggle friends again.

Once August came Lucy and Maya’s moms made plans to go back to England two days before September 1st, so they have enough time to go to Diagon Alley for supplies and the girls were already excited. Their moms, however, were not.

After Lucy’s mom found out about her daughter being petrified, she obviously told Maya’s mom right away. Both parents were questioning the safety of the school as both of their children have almost died each year. There were angry letters from both moms sent to Dumbledore, and Maya’s mom was not happy with her daughter once she found out that Maya was the one who technically made her friends “search for danger” as her mother politely put it. Maya decided not to tell her mom that she technically helped Harry and Ron in the Chamber of Secrets, not wanting to get yelled at again.

So, needless to say, both moms were hesitant to send their children back to Hogwarts. But Maya and Lucy hated the idea of leaving all their friends and going to the American school, and Maya felt like she would be needed at Hogwarts, so they begged their parents to let them go. The girls even went as far as to write a letter to Percy Weasley who had become Head Boy to confirm that things will be safe, and he will keep an eye on the two girls, so they stay out of trouble. This resulted in an angry letter from Fred and George saying that _they_ were perfectly capable of keeping them out of trouble (which was a total lie), but Maya and Lucy didn’t show that one to their parents.

When the last weekend of August came and they all arrived at the Leaky Cauldron to meet with the Weasleys, their moms went through the list of rules the girls must follow.

“Remember, no sneaking out past curfew,” Maya’s mom said.

“No wandering off if you hear a noise,” said Lucy’s.

“And if the professors say no going out, don’t go out,” both girls said in unison, eager to go inside and see their friends for the first time in months.

Maya’s mom wasn’t convinced the girls were really listening. “I need you two to take this seriously—”

“There you all are!” A familiar voice cheered.

Maya looked over her mom and saw Arthur Weasley standing by the door of the Leaky Cauldron and she smiled and waved at him.

“Hi, Mr. Weasley!” Lucy beamed, happy to be free of the mom’s speeches.

There was a crash from behind him and suddenly two tall red heads appeared.

“They’re here!” Fred shouted.

“Been waiting all day!” George grinned.

Maya and Lucy’s smiles grew ten times bigger and they ran up to hug the both of them.

“Help us get away,” Lucy muttered quietly. “They’ve been giving us lectures on safety since we got on the plane.”

“Let’s go to Diagon Alley, we gotta stock up on fireworks,” Fred announced, grabbing Lucy’s arm ready to go.

“No trouble!” Lucy’s mom shouted as they headed out.

As they were leaving, Maya heard Arthur mumble a quick “Molly and I need to speak with you” to their mom’s.

Once in Diagon Alley they went to the ice cream shop first, so they didn’t shop on empty stomachs. Fred and George told them all about their adventures in Egypt and how annoying Percy has been since he’s been told about being Head Boy. The girls also told them about their Summer and how their moms almost didn’t let them come back.

“So, does that mean they won’t let you go to Hogsmeade this year?” George asked them.

“No, we managed to get them to sign the permission slip,” Lucy chuckled.

“We told them it’s part of one of our new classes,” Maya smirked.

The twins high fived them then decided it was time to start shopping. Of course, they wanted to go to the joke shop first, so they dragged Maya and Lucy along begrudgingly.

As they were walking, George was telling one of their many stories about Egypt when Maya saw a familiar face.

“Cedric!” She shouted for his attention and waved.

After Cedric helped Maya out last year, the two of them formed a small friendship. They would see each other in the halls and smile, make jokes about each other’s Houses, and Cedric often helped her with homework. She will admit, she did have a small crush on him, but she would never do anything about it. He was three years older than her and probably had a girlfriend anyways, but that didn’t mean she had to stop talking to him.

When Cedric saw her, he smiled and walked over.

“Hiya, Frances!” He beamed.

“How was your Summer?” She asked, probably smiling too much.

“Alright, got to practice quidditch for a bit, you?”

“It was good! Lucy and I—”

“We went to Egypt over the Holidays,” George interrupted suddenly.

Maya looked at him weird, but Cedric seemed unphased.

“I heard about that in the Prophet! Congrats on the win you guys,” he smiled at the twins.

“Thanks,” Fred said, trying not to laugh.

“I’ll see you guys around, then,” Cedric said and smiled at Maya again before leaving.

The group was quiet for a moment, until Fred couldn’t hold it in anymore and he started to laugh. Maya felt her face get warm but ignored it.

“Let’s go,” she mumbled.

“Frances? Do you have a crush on _Diggory_?” Fred asked, still laughing.

“No,” she said, too fast.

“Oh my _god_!” Lucy gasped. “You _do_ , don’t you! Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not a crush, I just don’t hate the way he looks,” Maya said, then turned to George. “And what’s your problem? You were being rude.”

Fred laughed even harder. “He’s jealous—”

“I am not jealous,” George glared at his brother. “I just thought he might want to know about our trip.”

Maya stared at him, could he actually be jealous? That wouldn’t make any sense, they’re just really good friends, best friends even. He couldn’t think she would replace him for Cedric, did he?

“Besides, I just think it’s a little bit weird that he was so eager to talk to a third year,” George urged.

Lucy scoffed. “Wasn’t it you two that wrote letters about how you were excited to see us?”

George’s cheeks started to turn pink. “That’s obviously different.”

Lucy rolled her eyes then entered the store. “Yeah, obviously.”

They all walked through the store, the conversation dropped, and the twins went off testing every product. Maya and Lucy stayed behind, not as eager as them.

“So, you really do have a crush on him then?” Lucy asked.

Maya sighed. “I think he’s attractive, yes, but anyone with eyes thinks that.”

Lucy nodded. “That’s true, he is really hot. But you actually _talk_ to him, that’s impressive.”

Maya blushed a bit. “It’s just a friendship, besides he’s three years older than me. It’d be weird.”

“Alright alright. But in a few years when you’re both older it’ll be—”

“Stop,” Maya laughed. “If I’m still pining for him after finishing school then there’s something wrong with me.”

Lucy laughed and they continued to search the store behind Fred and George. The twins spent close to an hour looking at each product and they left with a few bags’ worth of things.

“Don’t let our parents see that,” Lucy sighed. “We have to at least pretend we’ll behave.”

Everyone laughed and started to walk over to Flourish and Blotts, but something caught Maya’s eye.

“Hey, what’s that?” She asked, pointing to a poster at the front of the store.

She moved to get a closer look and realized it was a Wanted poster. There was a picture of a man with a sunken-face and long, matted, black hair. He blinked slowly in the image and his eyes looked completely numb. The poster read the name Sirius Black.

“Who is that?” she asked the twins, still staring at the poster.

“That’s Sirius Black,” George answered.

“A murderer and ex-death eater, a bloody terrifying one too,” Fred said.

“He kinda just looks sad…” Lucy commented, and Maya nodded.

“Dementors will do that,” George shuddered. “They take away all your happy memories.”

“Dementors?” Maya said, finally taking her eyes off the poster.

“They’re the ones who guard Azkaban, where Black escaped,” Fred explained.

“So, this murderer escaped prison?” Maya recited.

“Yup pretty much. Wouldn’t be a year at Hogwarts without there being some danger, right?” Fred winked.

Maya and Lucy looked at each other. They both knew that if their moms found out about this, they would be even more strict about allowing them back to school. Then Maya remembered Arthur telling them he had to talk to them.

“Oh crap!” Maya exclaimed. “Your dad probably already told our moms! We’re gonna get even _more_ lectures.”

Lucy groaned. “Couldn’t this dude wait just one more year to break out? So, we could have one normal year?”

“Hopefully we’ll be safe…Dumbledore is really strong and stuff…” Maya commented, trying to sound hopeful.

“Dumbledore also managed to hire someone with You-Know-Who on the back of their head as a professor,” Fred pointed out.

Maya scowled at him. “Can’t we just _pretend_ to be optimistic?”

He laughed. “Sorry, but it’s true.”

“He also hired Lockhart after that, so Dumbledore isn’t as bright as everyone makes him out to be,” Lucy said, everyone chuckled remembering Lockhart.

“Merlin, who knows who our next DADA professor will be,” George laughed.

“Based off Dumbledore’s theme, he may as well hire Black himself,” Maya snickered.

Lucy shrugged. “I wouldn’t complain. I mean I know he’s a murderer and all, but he’s kinda hot…”

Both Fred and George stared at her, not sure if she was serious or not, but Maya nodded.

“You’re not wrong, he looks sad on the poster, but not like a _bad_ sad, you know?” Maya said, teasing the twins.

“Merlin, Frances. You go from a crush on Diggory to a literal murderer. I can’t tell if I’m concerned or impressed,” Fred laughed.

Maya stuck her tongue out at him then walked into Flourish and Blotts to get her books for the year. While in the store they met up with Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Maya and Lucy’s moms. As they all shopped together, Maya noticed how her mom hung close to her and how she had a nervous look in her eye. This confirmed her suspicion that Arthur told her about Sirius Black.

When all books were purchased, they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Maya was excited to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione again. Fred and George said Harry had been staying there for a few days which struck her as odd, but she also was aware of Harry’s living situation, so she assumed it was better than being stuck with the Dursley’s.

Before they walked in, Lucy and Maya got pulled aside from their parents.

“We spoke with Arthur not too long ago,” Lucy’s mom started. “And there seems to be yet _another_ risk at Hogwarts this year.”

“We know,” Lucy said. “Fred and George told us.”

“But don’t worry. Hogwarts is safe, there’s no way Black would be able to get in,” Maya said before either parents got a chance to say anything.

“But he has enough motivation to try,” Maya’s mom said.

Both Lucy and Maya were confused by this. What motivation did Sirius Black have to get to Hogwarts?

“According to Arthur, who works for the Ministry, there’s suspicion that Black is after your friend Harry,” Maya’s mom said in response to the girl’s confusion.

They were quiet for a moment. Of course, the crazy murderer on the loose would be after The Boy Who Lived, he was an ex-death eater after all.

“Well, if he’s after a student then Dumbledore will probably have high protection over the castle. We should be fine,” Maya said, trying to sound convincing.

“I don’t doubt that,” Lucy’s mom said. “But we know you too. You’re going to try to help Harry, but please, just be careful.”

The two girls were shocked that they would even be allowed to go back to school. They both nodded and promised their parents they would be careful.

The Weasley’s would be taking the girls to the train tomorrow, so now was the last time they’d see their parents until Christmas. They each said their goodbyes and promised one more time to be safe and to not cause any trouble, then their parents returned back to muggle London.

They walked into the Leaky Cauldron once they were finished and greeted Harry, Ron, and Hermione immediately. They caught up on everyone’s Summer and Harry told them about how he blew up his Aunt (Maya high fived him). Hermione showed the girls her new cat, Crookshanks, Maya and Lucy met the cat excitedly, but Ron was not happy. Then him and Hermione bickered more about how Crookshanks is going to kill Scabbers.

At dinner three tables were pushed together so everyone could sit with each other and discuss their plans on getting to the station the next day.

“How’re we getting to King’s Cross tomorrow, Dad?” Fred asked as he stuffed his face with chocolate pudding.

“The Ministry’s providing a couple of cars,” Mr. Weasley said.

Everyone looked up at him.

“Why?” Percy asked curiously.

“It’s because of you, Perce,” said George seriously. “And there’ll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them –”

“—for Humungous Bighead,” said Fred.

Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding.

“Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?” Percy asked again, ignoring the twin’s comments.

“Well, as we haven’t got one anymore—and as I work there—they’re doing me a favor,” Mr. Weasley answered, ears going red.

“Good thing, too,” said Mrs. Weasley briskly. “Do you realize how much luggage you’ve all got between you? A nice sight you’d be on the Muggle Underground…You are all packed, aren’t you?”

“Ron hasn’t put all his new things in his trunk yet,” said Percy. “He’s dumped them on my bed.”

Ron scowled at Percy as Molly told him to pack his things. Everyone slowly made their way up to their rooms after dinner. They were all exhausted after shopping, except for the twins who were constantly filled with energy.

Maya and Lucy shared a room that was right next to the twins shared room, so naturally they snuck into their rooms at night, forcing the girls to stay up with them. They joked around for a few more hours, his Percy’s Head Boy pin, then after an hour or two the twins finally returned back to their rooms and they went to sleep.

-

The morning was as hectic as Maya expected it to be. Percy was once again mad at Ron, Fred and George were being themselves, Hermione fought with Ron again about Crookshanks, and Maya and Lucy had both managed to lose their wands which ended up being under their beds the whole time.

When they arrived, Mr. Weasley suggested they run through the barrier in pairs and went with Harry. Maya and Lucy assumed they would go together, and the twins would follow after, but someone else had other plans.

“Lucy, go with me?” Fred said flashing a lopsided grin.

Lucy looked at him, shocked for a moment, then at Maya who shrugged and let her go.

“Okay,” Lucy smiled.

Fred beamed then bowed and extended a hand for her to grab. “M’lady,” he teased.

Lucy rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand as they ran together through the barrier.

Maya and George watched them go with amusement then ran through the barrier together not too far behind.

They met with Lee on the train excitedly and George was eager to make fun of Fred for the stunt he pulled with Lucy which caused the two to bicker. Lee rolled his eyes at them and turned his attention to Lucy and Maya. They caught up on each other’s summers and talked about their plans to prank Snape once they got back.

Maya got along well with Lee. If she was being honest, he might even be funnier than the twins, but if she told them that they would probably whine and then never stop pranking her. Lee always had a comeback, was quick to lighten the mood, and always made fun of the twins, which Maya admired.

“So, are you two going to Hogsmeade this year?” Lee asked them.

“Yeah! I’m so excited to finally be able to leave the castle on weekends,” Lucy said.

“Me too,” Maya agreed. “Spending weekends in the Common Room with Pansy Parkinson is a nightmare.”

Lee snorted. “That sounds terrible, almost as bad as having to sleep in the same room as those two.”

The twins stopped fighting with each other for a moment and shouted a “Hey!” at Lee.

“We’re a pleasure,” Fred smirked.

“Room’s never a mess, never too loud,” George said.

“Yeah, because I don’t trip over your shirts or step on a dungbomb every day,” Lee rolled his eyes and smiled.

Lee then continued to list all the reasons why they were the most obnoxious people to share a room with, while Fred and George argued they were the best. Only interrupted once by the witch with the food cart. They each got something, and Maya groaned when she got another Dumbledore card with her chocolate frog.

“Hey, Higgins, were you able to sign up for new classes after last year?” Lee asked.

Lucy’s face paled a bit. Maya noticed she got uncomfortable when people brought up when she got petrified, but always tried to make a joke to hide her discomfort.

“Well, I wasn’t able to get a full explanation of each class, so I just signed up for the same things as Maya and hoped she made good choices,” she answered, taking another bite of her chocolate frog.

“So technically if you fail any of them, it’s my fault,” Maya said sarcastically.

“Yup,” she grinned at her friend. “I’m disappointed you didn’t choose Muggle Studies. It would’ve been an easy class.”

Fred snorted. “You’re a Ravenclaw, aren’t you supposed to be clever and want to learn new things?”

“I _am_ clever. It would have been very smart of me to take a class that guarantees a passing grade,” Lucy pointed out. “This way I can use my creativity and wit on something purposeful, like my list of insults for you.”

“You have a _list_?” Fred gawked.

“It’s a long one,” she smirked. “Ask Maya, she’s seen it.”

Fred turned his eyes to Maya who was laughing.

“It could be a book, but don’t worry it’s for both you _and_ Georgie,” Maya smiled innocently.

“Why me?” George whined.

“Can I see the list? I want to add some!” Lee chimed in.

“This friendship is abusive,” Fred said, folding his arms and pouting.

“They’re not all insults though,” Maya said and looked at Lucy who was now blushing. “She’s got some pick-up lines in there too, but those are only reserved for one of you two.”

Lucy hid her face and muttered an “I hate you” to her friend who was cackling.

Fred was about to make a quick remark when suddenly the train came to a stop.

“Did we just stop?” Lee asked, sitting up.

Maya shook her head. “We can’t possibly be here already; it hasn’t been that long.”

Lucy stuck her head out of the compartment to see what was going on, but there was a thud of multiple trunks falling and everything went completely dark.

“What the hell?” one of them muttered.

“It sounds like someone’s boarding the train,” George said when suddenly someone came bursting into their compartment.

Maya squinted trying to see who it was in the dark and caught a flash of platinum blonde hair.

“Draco?!?” She gawked.

“Frances?” He turned around frantically.

“Christ, are you okay?” Maya looked at him and noticed how much paler he looked than usual and the fear on his face.

“Bloody Dementors,” he panted, allowing his guard down, not realizing anyone else was in the compartment.

“Are you _scared,_ Malfoy?” George said suddenly, making his presence known.

Draco stiffened suddenly.

“Shut up, Weasley,” Maya scolded. “We’re all scared.”

Suddenly it got extremely cold and Draco shuddered and quickly sat next to Maya, clearly terrified.

Maya was grateful for Draco’s warmth sitting next to her because suddenly she started to feel beyond depressed. It felt similar to how she felt last summer when she first heard about her parents splitting up, or when her and Lucy had their fight. Everything felt hopeless and she wanted to start crying. She could have sworn she heard Draco sniffle and she gripped his hand tightly.

Quickly, but not quick enough, a silver light flashed through the train and a black hooded figure glided away quickly. The lights turned back on, it became warm again, and the train started to move as if nothing happened.

“What the bloody hell was that?” Lee spoke first.

“Did you say it was a dementor, Malfoy?” Lucy said gently, looking at the blonde boy’s current state.

As if just remembering who else was in the compartment, Draco sat up straighter and let go of Maya’s hand, no longer exposing his fear.

“Yeah, probably looking for Black,” he said kindly to Lucy, then glared at the Weasley’s and got up.

“I’ll see you at the feast, Frances,” he said then left.

“He nearly wet himself,” Fred snickered, and the others laughed, but Maya frowned.

She didn’t feel as hopeless as before, but still felt the effects of the dementor on her. If only one dementor had such a strong effect, how did anyone in Azkaban handle it? She knew she shouldn’t, but a part of her felt bad for Sirius Black. If she were him, she would have tried to escape too.

The rest of the train ride wasn’t as comfortable as it was in the beginning and they weren’t as talkative.

When they arrived at Hogwarts they walked eagerly to the carriages. Fred and George wanted to find Ginny quickly to make sure she was okay and found her in a carriage with Neville and they joined them. Ginny told them she was fine, but that didn’t stop them from both being protective older brothers. Maya couldn’t help but smile at the two who were secretly very caring and protective of their family.

Neville informed them that Harry had fainted when the Dementor appeared and it actually went into their compartment. He told them all that happened and how their new professor had managed to send the dementor away.

The carriages came to stop when they arrived at the castle and Maya waved to them as she went to look for Draco. She was worried about him after how shaken up he was over the dementor.

It didn’t take long to find him once she heard his voice.

“You _fainted_ , Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually _fainted_?”

Maya turned around and saw him elbow past Hermione to block Harry’s way up to the castle, a malicious look in his eyes.

“Shove off, Malfoy,” said Ron, whose jaw was clenched.

“Did you faint as well, Weasley?” he said loudly. “Did the scary old dementor frighten you too, Weasley?”

Maya marched up to him angrily, ready to yell at him and expose him for being just as afraid when someone else stepped forward and spoke first.

“Is there a problem?” The tall man asked calmly.

Draco looked caught off guard and hurriedly spoke.

“Oh, no – er – _Professor_ ,” then smirked and walked off.

Maya assumed this was the professor Neville was talking about earlier and stared for a bit longer than she should have. He was very tall with patches in his robes, he had scars and his hair was greying, but he really didn’t seem that old.

Maya shook her head and brought her attention back to Harry.

“Er…sorry about him. I’ll try and get Malfoy under control again as soon as I can,” Maya apologized to Harry. “And I hope you’re feeling better. See you later.” She nodded at her new professor then went over to find Draco again and yell at him.

-

Once she was sat at the Slytherin table she did not hesitate to scold Draco who only partly paid attention.

“—Are you even listening to me? You have no right to go around making fun of Harry for being scared when you nearly peed your pants when coming into our compartment!” Maya yelled, causing Blaise to snicker.

“Shut up, Zambini,” Draco spat. “Come on, Frances. He fainted; it was funny!”

“Funny? Where was the joke? I think I missed it,” she retorted.

Draco opened his mouth to speak when Dumbledore stood up to speak.

“We’ll finish this later,” Maya whispered then turned her attention to her Headmaster.

“Welcome!” His voiced echoed through the Great Hall. “Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…”

He cleared his throat and continued. “As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises – or even Invisibility Cloaks,” he added, and Maya noticed him staring at Harry as he said it.

“It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors,” Dumbledore said.

Maya looked at Percy and saw him puff out his chest and stare around impressively, she rolled her eyes at him.

“On a happier note,” Dumbledore continued, “I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.”

There was a scattered and unenthusiastic applause that mostly came in the direction of the Gryffindor table. It was Harry and the others in the compartment with him and a few other professors and Maya felt bad. He didn’t seem that bad. He may have looked a little shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be a good professor. So, Maya clapped among the others, earning a strange look from Draco.

Maya noticed how Snape had looked particularly angry and she snickered. She knew he wanted the DADA job but failed every year. He deserved it in her opinion.

“As to our second new appointment,” Dumbledore continued. “Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creature teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties.”

Maya beamed, proud of Hagrid for becoming a professor, and applauded him. Draco, however, was not as amused.

“Why would he hire the oaf to teach classes?” he spat.

Maya smacked the back of his head and continued to clap for Hagrid.

“Well, I think that’s everything of importance,” said Dumbledore. “Let the feast begin!”

The golden plates and goblets filled instantly, and Maya made sure she ate every last piece of food.

-

The next morning Maya looked at her schedule for the first time and groaned when she saw she had Divination first. From what she’s heard from Cedric who has taken that class before, the professor is a bit looney, so Maya was not looking forward to that class.

Her and Lucy walked to the class together and managed to get extremely lost. They thought after two years with sneaking around with the twins, they would know the castle pretty well by now. They thought wrong. Maya tried reading a map that came with her schedule, but she is not exactly the best with reading maps and caused them to make several wrong turns. Lucy took the map out of her hands and tried to get them back on course.

Eventually they saw three familiar faces and found Ron, Harry, and Hermione running after a knight that was jumping from painting to painting.

“Harry!” Maya shouted trying to get his attention.

He turned around and waved.

“Follow us!” He shouted, still running. “The knight is leading us to Divination!”

“Ugh, I don’t wanna run—” Maya groaned, but Lucy grabbed her wrist and dragged her. They caught up with the other three and were all running at the same speed.

They ran up spiral stairs and everyone started to get dizzy. Eventually the knight came to a stop and they heard the murmur of voices above them.

“Farewell!” cried the knight, popping his head into a painting of some sinister-looking monks. “Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!” Then he disappeared.

“Yeah, we’ll call you,” Ron muttered, “if we ever need someone mental.”

They climbed the last few steps then paused when they looked up and saw a trapdoor and a brass plaque on it.

“Sybill Trelawney, Divination teacher,” Harry read. “How’re we supposed to get up there?”

As though in answer to his question, the trapdoor swung open and a silvery ladder descended.

“Wow, just like magic,” Maya said sarcastically, making Ron and Lucy snort.

“After you,” Ron said to Harry, giving him a light shove.

Maya and Lucy followed up after Hermione.

The classroom was the most peculiar place Maya had ever seen. It didn’t even look like a classroom, more like an attic or a tea shop. It reminded Maya of a place where a grandma would spend most of their time knitting. There were about twenty small tables around the room, and strange looking armchairs around them. The curtains were close, and the lamps had red scarves around them, making the room have a red tint.

The trio went off to a table of their own, so Maya and Lucy sat at another table close by with Dean and Seamus. Maya and Lucy often joked around with them when they sat at the Gryffindor table and they got along well.

“Where’s the teacher?” Maya asked once she settled in.

Dean shrugged. “’Dunno, haven’t seen her since we got here.”

“Fingers crossed she doesn’t show up so we can leave early,” Lucy joked.

“It’s the literally the first day of classes,” Maya laughed at her friend.

“Don’t care what day it is as long as I get to leave early,” Lucy winked.

Suddenly, a strange misty voice came out of the shadows.

“Welcome,” it said. “How nice to see you in the physical world at last.”

“What world were we in before?” Seamus whispered and everyone laughed.

The misty voice came closer and Maya finally caught sight of her professor. She was very thin and had glasses that made her eyes seem too big for her face. She was dressed in a spangled shawl and had bangles and rings all over her hands and arms.

“Welcome to Divination,” she spoke again. “My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye.”

“Her inner _what_?” Lucy whispered. Everyone at the table was trying to cover their snickers but failed miserably.

“So you have chosen to study Divination, the mist difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field…”

Maya looked at Hermione who looked appalled at the thought of no books.

“I sense that several of you have the gift of Sight already, some stronger than others,” then she turned to look at Maya, who started sliding down her chair to hide from everyone’s stares.

“Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future,” Professor Trelawney went on, her ginormous eyes moving from face to face. “It is a Gift granted to few,” she said and looked at Maya again.

She started to give people random warnings and explained what they will be doing for their first year of Divination. Once she finished that speech. She told everyone what to do for today’s lesson.

“Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of _Unfogging the Future_. I shall move among you, helping and instructing.”

Maya and Lucy got their cups filled and sat back down ready to finish their task.

“I can already tell my future,” Maya said in between sips. “I’m gonna have to pee after drinking this tea.”

Lucy snorted into her cup and choked a bit. They quickly finished their teas and swiveled their cups around as they were told then passed each other their cups.

Maya looked at Lucy’s cup first and could not for the life of her find any shapes.

“I’m gonna be honest, this just looks like brown shit,” she said.

“Great, my future is shit,” Lucy chuckled.

Maya tried to get a better look and slowly started to visualize more shapes. All of this seemed stupid in her opinion, how was this supposed to help her visions?

“I think there’s a diamond or something here,” she said then looked at the textbook. “According to the book you’re either going to get a lot of money, or you’re going to be in a lot of debt. Good luck, dude.”

Trelawney appeared out of nowhere and took Lucy’s cup out of Maya’s hands.

“Oh dear, this is wonderful!” Their professor exclaimed. “Miss Frances, that’s not a diamond, that’s a heart!” She looked at Lucy. “Someone at this table will be taking you on a date soon.”

Lucy stared at Maya as if she had an answer for her.

Maya threw her hands up, surrendering. “Don’t look at me! You’re cute and all, but I didn’t have any plans on asking you out!”

“How did you not see the heart, Miss Frances? Dumbledore spoke to me about you,” Trelawney interrogated her.

“I don’t get my visions from drinking tea, sorry,” she answered, unintentionally rude.

Trelawney seemed extra bouncy around Maya. She was already twitchy, but for some reason as she stood near Maya, she wouldn’t stop fidgeting. It made Maya feel a strange type of frustration, like she wanted to grab the teacher herself to force her to stop moving, but she knew that was obviously inappropriate. She assumed it was just the strange smells of the room making her thoughts out of sorts.

“I would like to speak with you after class, if you don’t mind,” Trelawney asked, her big eyes looking anywhere other than at Maya.

“Sure,” she said then looked back at her book, ready for Trelawney to move on.

Once she was gone, Lucy was eager to hear more about her future.

“So whose asking me on a date?” she asked Maya.

“I don’t know! I saw a diamond, not a heart!” Maya said, still feeling slightly uneasy even after Trelawney left.

“Use a vision! I wanna know!” she whispered.

Maya groaned. “It doesn’t work like that, at least not yet. I’m _supposed_ to learn how to control them in this class, but all we’re doing is drinking tea.”

Lucy smiled at her friend sympathetically. “Well, I still think it’s gonna be you,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Maya gave a small smile. “Damn, you caught me. I was going to sing to you and everything.”

The girls laughed for a bit then continued to try to read each other’s future. Lucy was in the middle of telling Maya she was going to be bit by a rat in the future, when Professor Trelawney let out a dramatic gasp.

“My dear,” she said, huge eyes staring at Harry, “you have the Grim.”

“The what?” Harry asked.

Maya was just as confused as him and had absolutely no idea what the crazy lady was talking about.

“The Grim, my dear, the Grim!” she cried. “The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen – the worst omen – of _death_!”

Everyone was silent and Harry looked a bit scared, but Maya couldn’t hold in the laugh that made its way out of her mouth. All eyes were on her as she tried to calmly collect herself.

“I’m sorry,” she laughed. “You mean after two years of fighting off You-Know-Who, a _dog_ is going to be what kills Harry?” She started cackling again, this time Lucy and Ron started to chuckle a bit too. “Tough luck, Harry, really.” Even Harry and Hermione started to laugh as well. Lavender Brown, however, was scared and angry at Maya for making a joke out of the situation.

Hermione looked at the cup after calming down and scoffed.

“ _I_ don’t think it looks like a Grim,” she said flatly.

Professor Trelawney looked at Hermione with distaste.

“You’ll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future.”

Seamus decided he wanted to get a look as well and tilted his head from side to side.

“It looks like a Grim if you do this,” he said, squinting his eyes practically shut, “but it looks more like a donkey from here.”

Maya and Lucy, who had finally stopped laughing and got their act together, lost it again at that and started wheezing.

“I think we will leave the lesson here for today,” said Professor Trelawney, seeming unphased. “Yes…please pack away your things…except for you Miss Frances.”

Maya forgot she had to stay and groaned. Lucy promised she would wait for her outside, so they could walk to Defense Against the Dark Arts together next.

Once everyone was gone, Professor Trelawney began to get twitchy again and Maya started to feel the frustration she had earlier begin to come back. Trelawney stayed a good distance from Maya, as if she was afraid to get too close.

“I do sense an interesting aura around you, dear,” she said with her misty voice. “But it’s not what I expected it to be.”

Maya raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Based off what I’ve heard, you have visions, so obviously you have the Sight, and your Inner Eye is strong,” she mused.

Maya chuckled. “Obviously.”

Professor Trelawney’s big eyes finally stopped moving and she looked into Maya’s eyes for the first time that day.

“You mustn’t make so many jokes, Miss Frances,” she scolded, very seriously. “This is a serious topic, and I would like to help you get better control. It would be nice to have someone like me around.”

Maya shuddered at the idea of growing up and being as crazy as Trelawney. She did seem sweet, but this just wasn’t her style. Drinking tea and gazing into crystal balls seemed more like a hobby, not a lifestyle.

“You are more advanced than the others in this class, which is very clear, so in class we will stick with the basics,” she said, and Maya nodded. “However, I would like to give you private lessons to help you,” she said, then quickly added, “if that’s alright, of course.”

She was relieved at this offer. Maya feared that she would be stuck having to only do the basics and that she wouldn’t get the lessons she needed until her fourth or even fifth year.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” she agreed.

Trelawney gave a quick smile. “Saturday’s around lunchtime is the best time for the Sight, I shall see you then. Oh, and good luck in Defense Against the Dark Arts, don’t get too frightened.” Then she turned around and disappeared to the back of her classroom.

Maya paid no attention to that last comment and met with Lucy outside to walk to their next class.

Walking to class she told Lucy about her private lessons with Trelawney and Lucy apologized for having to study more on weekends. Maya didn’t bring up the weird feeling of uneasiness and frustration around Trelawney, not wanting to worry her friend much.

Both girls were excited to meet their new DADA professor and for Care of Magical creatures after. They knew Harry, Ron, and Hermione were excited for Hagrid as well, but they currently had Transfiguration while Maya and Lucy had DADA, so they said they’d meet up outside after.

They entered the DADA classroom before Professor Lupin, so Maya and Lucy sat at the desk next to Daphne and Draco and they joked around until he came.

“How was Divination?” Daphne asked them.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Strange, apparently Harry’s going to die.”

Draco scoffed. “That’s not surprising with Black on the loose.”

“And I feel like it’s on brand for Potter to be in danger once a year,” Daphne added.

Maya and Lucy laughed, she was right and even Harry would have to laugh at that.

“Any word on how she’s going to help you with your visions?” Daphne then asked Maya.

“Yeah, private lessons on Saturdays,” Maya said with a mix of excitement and dread.

“Every Saturday?” Draco asked quickly. “Even on Hogsmeade weekends?”

Maya shrugged. “’Dunno, I’m sure if I ask to skip a weekend, she’ll be fine with it. Dumbledore may not be too thrilled, but I don’t care.”

Draco chuckled and Daphne gave a knowing smile to Draco that Maya didn’t fully understand.

“So how soon will you be able to control the visions?” Daphne asked eagerly.

Maya laughed at her eager friend. “I don’t know, why is there something you want me to see?”

Lucy held up her hand. “Hey, wait. Once you get control you are testing it on me first, I still want to know whose asking me out.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Lucy. You go first, but don’t you _want_ it to be surprise?”

“No of course not,” Lucy said like it was obvious. “I have to mentally prepare myself, so I don’t accidentally laugh…or cry.”

Maya laughed, loving her friend for being so genuinely relatable.

“I want you to get visions on Black,” Daphne said suddenly.

Maya paused. “Why? You think he’s really a risk?”

“Maybe, I’m not sure, but it’s worth trying,” she admitted.

Maya already knew she wanted to get a vision on him, but only told Lucy. They stole one of the wanted signs from Diagon Alley so she could use it to try and get a vision if she needed to.

“Well, if you find out if he’s close,” Lucy started, “let me know. I want to look nice for him.”

Daphne and Draco both snorted.

“What is actually wrong with you?” Daphne teased.

“What?” Lucy smiled innocently. “You can’t tell me you don’t think the same.”

“Come on Daphne,” Maya agreed. “He may be a murderer, but he’s _hot_.”

Someone cleared their throat behind them, and Maya and Lucy sat up straight, both of their faces flushed.

Draco and Daphne turned around but were obviously still laughing at the embarrassed two girls.

Maya was the first one to look up at Professor Lupin and to speak.

“Sorry sir…we’re only joking…”

“Well…” Lucy muttered, but Maya cut her short with an elbow to the ribs.

“We’d never _actually_ find a murderer attract—”

Lupin, to their surprise, held up a hand and chuckled.

“It’s okay, no need to apologize. However, I’d prefer if you kept the gossip on the…er… _attractive_ celebrities...or murderers…to your private time,” he said calmly.

Daphne and Draco were still cackling next to them.

“Yes, Professor,” the girls said in unison.

He walked up to the front and both the girls started laughing at their embarrassment.

“Whoops,” Lucy muttered and both girls snorted.

Once everyone in the class settled in Professor Lupin had started.

“Good afternoon,” he said. “I would like you all to put your books back in your bags. Our first lesson will be a practical lesson. Only your wands will be needed.”

“Oh shit,” Lucy whispered. “We’re actually going to learn stuff this year.”

“Thank God,” Maya muttered quietly.

Their first DADA professor wasn’t that bad at teaching, but he always seemed terrified and it was hard to follow along on his lessons when he would stutter and pause to calm himself down, then end class early. Their second professor, Lockhart, was significantly worse and only ever talked about himself. Maya knew already she was going to like Lupin; she just regretted the embarrassing first conversation.

“Right then,” he said once everyone was ready. “If you’d follow me.”

Everyone looked around confused then got to their feet. They followed their professor as he walked out of the class and lead them to the staffroom that was completely empty.

It felt weird being there, she had snuck in here once with the twins and Lucy once and even then, it was weird. It was like this was the place where all the teacher’s hung out, but she had no idea what their definition of hanging out means and she just couldn’t picture Snape and McGonagall playing cards together.

He led the students up to a tall, out of place wardrobe that was shaking rather aggressively.

“Now, Miss Higgins, I was hoping you would be the first one to help out today?” Lupin said, turning to Lucy.

Lucy looked taken aback but stepped up. “Sure…um what are we doing?”

The wardrobe gave another aggressive shake before Lupin spoke again.

“There’s a boggart in there,” he answered. All of the students started to panic and backed away instinctively. “Calm down, it’ll be fine.”

Lucy looked at Maya, silently asking if she had any idea what a boggart was, but Maya was just as lost as she was and was picturing a large booger.

“Who can tell me what a boggart is?” Their teacher asked.

Daphne shyly raised her hand to answer.

“They’re shape-shifters that can take the form of whatever you fear the most.”

“Very good!” He smiled at her. “So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, it will immediately become whatever each of us most fears.”

Maya noticed Lucy tense up and back up slightly at the idea of facing her biggest fear. She wasn’t exactly sure what her best friends biggest fear was, but she assumed after last year’s events it would have something to do with the petrification.

“This means,” Professor Lupin continued, “that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin.”

Professor Lupin continued to explain how the spell to defend yourself against a boggart requires laughter. He then made the class practice saying the spell together before they tested it out on the real boggart.

“Miss Higgins before we start. What is it that you fear the most?” He asked Lucy.

Lucy paled and wiped her palms on her robes. “Um…probably a snake.”

A few Slytherins snickered at the thought of their house mascot scaring someone, but Maya glared at anyone who dared to make fun of Lucy.

Professor looked thoughtful for a moment. “You’re a muggleborn, correct?”

Lucy nodded.

“So you are familiar with the muggle toy ‘slinky’?”

Lucy started to smile and nodded again.

“Perfect! When the boggart comes out of this wardrobe, Lucy, and sees you, it will assume the form of a snake. Then, you will raise your wand – thus – and cry ‘ _Riddikulus_ ’ – and concentrate hard on a slinky, any color of your choice. If all goes well, the snake will be forced into taking form of that toy.”

The class started to chuckle at the thought and Lucy seemed much calmer.

“If Lucy is successful, the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn,” continued Lupin. “I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical…”

Maya thought about what her biggest fear could be. To be honest, the idea of other people seeing her biggest fear terrified her more than even having to _face_ her biggest fear. She assumed the boggart would simply take form of a spider, but deep down a part of her knew she had a fear bigger than an eight-legged creature; she just didn’t know what it could be. At least not yet.

“Everyone ready?” Professor Lupin asked, the class nodded back at him. “Lucy, we’re going to back away. Let you have a clear field, all right? I’ll call the next person forward…everyone back, now, so Lucy can get a clear shot –”

The class collectively backed up and Maya gave her friend a quick thumbs up for reassurance. Lucy looked afraid but shook her arms to loosen up and get ready, then put on a firm look.

Lupin counted down from three and then hit the door with a spell. The door swung open and a hissing noise was heard throughout the room. The snake-boggart slowly slithered to the doors, the head appeared first, but the snake had a long body coming from behind, easily the size of both Lucy and Maya combined. It’s forked tongue licked its lips in a human like way and stared directly at Lucy. Quickly, the snake opened its mouth widely and charged straight towards Lucy.

Lucy was faster, however, and before the snake could fully exit the wardrobe she shouted “ _Riddikulus!_ ” The snake turned into a neon green slinky and bounced out of the wardrobe and wobbled around ridiculously.

The class ruptured into fits of laughter, causing the boggart to get confused. Professor Lupin shouted, “Parkinson! Forward!”

Lucy came back as Pansy stepped forward. Maya gave her friend a proud high five then watched as each student went up to face their greatest fears. After a few more people went, it was Maya’s turn and like she suspected, it was a spider. She remained calm and made the boggart trip all over its web in order to make it funny and she succeeded.

After class everyone felt proud of themselves and Maya smiled along with them, but still felt put off. She was relieved her fear was just a spider, but still felt like there was something deeper that she should have been afraid of. But this would be a worry for another day, not today. Today she was just happy that she succeeded and that she _finally_ had a good DADA professor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas if you celebrate! I'm trying to have a posting schedule, but I keep losing track of time and I honestly don't know if I'll be able to do that, but the goal is to at least post once a week lmao. I have a feeling year 3 is going to be a long one because I have a lot planned and had to cut chapter one in half because it was longer than I expected, but that's okay because that means more Remus (and Sirius too ofc!)  
> Follow my Tumblr @ miaafrances for posts about my updates and for other fun posts :))  
> (Also sorry if there are typos...I honestly didn't reread this chapter bc I wanted to get it out fast)


	10. Chapter 10: Year 3- Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s Saturday!” George exclaimed for the hundredth time that day. “She’ll understand if you skip the lesson if you’re spending it outside having fun!”  
> “Yeah!” Fred agreed. “It’s one of the last few warm weekends we have, so you have to spend it outside!”  
> Maya sighed. “I can’t! It’s the first lesson, how would it look if I ditched the first lesson with her? She’d think I’m irresponsible.”  
> “So?” Fred asked, as if being seen as irresponsible wasn’t a big deal.  
> “So,” she glared at him, “I can’t miss this lesson. It’ll probably only be an hour at most.”  
> Lucy groaned and gave her friend a pleading look. “Maya, you can’t leave me alone with these two.”  
> Maya laughed. “Sorry, you’ll have to manage for an hour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So before you read this next chapter I would like to clarify that I am not a Draco apologist. I am fully aware that canon Draco is not a good person, however, this fic is about changes being made and this is a different Draco than the one in the books.  
> It's not that important for me to share...but I don't want people to think that I ignored the books LMAO. Anyways, I hope you enjoy my version of Draco and enjoy this chapter!

The rest of the first day was as strange as it started. Care of Magical Creatures was all good and fun until Draco inevitably ruined it.

When Harry survived his flight with Buckbeak, everyone in the class became more comfortable with the Hippogriffs and Hagrid untied the others to let everyone bow to them. Maya knew that Draco would take on Buckbeak because Draco Malfoy could never let Harry Potter be better than him at something.

“Maybe you should calm down before you approach one,” Maya suggested quietly to the already tensed up Draco.

“Please,” he spat, “if Potter can do it then it can’t be difficult.” He marched up to the hippogriff and half-heartedly bowed to the hippogriff. To Maya’s surprise, Buckbeak bowed back to him and Draco scoffed.

“This is very easy,” he drawled, loud enough for everyone to hear, especially Harry. “I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it…I bet you’re not dangerous at all, are you?” He said to Buckbeak.

“Draco, stop,” Maya whispered to him, hoping he’d listen before he insults the prideful creature.

Unfortunately, he ignored her and finished gloating by calling Buck beak and ugly brute. In an instant the steely talons were out and with a scream, Draco was on the ground. Hagrid acted as quickly as possible, wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar. Maya ran to Draco who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.

“I’m dying!” He yelled dramatically.

Maya rolled her eyes but was relieved he was well enough to be his dramatic self.

“Yer not dyin’!” said Hagrid, who looked very pale. “Someone help me – gotta get him outta here –”

Hagrid picked him up and Maya tried helping as much as she could by trying keep Draco calm and to stop him from yelling at Hagrid.

All the Slytherins were angry for the rest of the day, blaming Hagrid for being so careless. Maya was angrier with Draco who was _clearly_ the one at fault. Hagrid had warned them to not insult the Hippogriff’s, but he didn’t listen.

Draco didn’t show up to any classes until Thursday. His elbow really wasn’t that bad, but if any student had a chance to get out of classes, they would take it. Draco was also rather dramatic and wanted everyone to feel bad for him which worked for every Slytherin except Maya, of course, who just rolled her eyes at him and made fun of him for being reckless.

On Thursday, however, they had Double Potions with the Gryffindors, and Draco would never miss a potions class unless he were quite literally dying. Maya called him crazy, if she were him, she would take the chance to miss any class with Professor Snape, but Draco insisted he went to Potions anyways and the both of them arrived late.

“How is it, Draco?” Pansy jumped up to Draco the second they arrived and gave him big puppy eyes making Maya gag. “Does it hurt much?”

“Yeah,” Draco responded coolly, putting on a brave sort of grimace.

“ _Baby_ ,” Maya muttered.

“Settle down, settle down,” said Professor Snape idly.

Pansy went back to her seat. Maya let Draco lead the way to their usual seats, but instead he decided to sit right next to Harry and Ron. Normally she wouldn’t mind sitting next to them, as they are her friends, but she knew that Draco wouldn’t voluntarily sit next to them if he didn’t plan on messing with them.

Snape announced they would be making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution, and everyone got their cauldrons ready.

“Sir,” Malfoy called, “sir, I’ll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm –”

Maya stared at him confused. “Don’t be ridiculous Draco, I watched you cut your chicken last night during dinner.”

Both Draco and Snape ignored her.

“Weasley, cut up Malfoy’s roots for him,” Snape said without looking up.

Ron’s face turned red.

“Ron don’t,” Maya told him, “he can do it himself; he’s just being a baby.”

Draco glared at her. “No, I am _not_! My arm hurts! Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots.”

“You’re such an ass,” Maya grumbled at him. “Ron don’t do it. I’ll cut the baby’s roots.”

Ron and Harry snickered as Maya continued to call Draco a baby, neither of them noticing Professor Snape standing next to them. Maya was about to start cutting Malfoy’s roots when he interrupted.

“Miss Frances, I believe I told Weasley to do this,” Snape pointed out.

She nodded. “Yeah, you did. But I’m sitting closer, so I’ll do it.”

“Based off your past marks in my Potions class, I find it unwise for someone like you to help Malfoy with his potion,” he sneered.

Maya heard Ron whisper to Harry, “I can’t tell if he’s insulting Maya or complimenting me.”

Snape jerked his head to Ron and made a face at him. “I would never stoop so low to compliment you, Weasley. Your marks are just as bad, I’m hoping that by helping, Malfoy’s skills will rub off on you.”

Ron looked down at his desk to cover up his red face and Maya was just about ready to punch the arrogant smirk on both her professor and Draco’s face. Ron started cutting Malfoy’s roots begrudgingly.

“Professor,” drawled Malfoy, “Weasley’s mutilating my roots, sir.”

Snape once again approached their table, stared his hooked nose at the roots, and gave Ron an unpleasant smile.

“Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley.”

“But, sir—” Ron protested after spending a quarter of an hour carefully chopping up ingredients.

“ _Now_ ,” said Snape in his most dangerous voice.

Ron moved his carefully sliced roots across the table to Malfoy then sighed and took up the knife again.

“And, sir, I’ll need this shrivelfig skinned,” said Draco, his voice full of malicious laughter.

Maya had enough.

“Did you hit your head too? Is that why you’re acting like a bigger dick than usual?” she snapped at him.

“Language, Miss Frances,” Snape yelled halfheartedly. “Potter, you can skin Malfoy’s shrivelfig.”

Harry took the shrivelfig and skinned it as fast as he could before throwing it back at Draco, not speaking once. Draco smirked more broadly than ever.

“Seen your pal Hagrid lately?” He asked them quietly.

Maya was fed up with Draco and tuned out his conversation with Harry, not wanting to deal with the two of them. She wasn’t mad at Harry, but when the two of them started fighting it was enough to make anyone go mad. Instead, she turned her attention to Neville, who was struggling a few cauldrons away from where they were sitting.

What Snape said earlier was true, Maya wasn’t exactly the _best_ at Potions, but she definitely wasn’t the worst. Poor Neville always struggled in this class and always got called out for it. Maya’s potion was slowly becoming the correct shade of green when she noticed Neville’s had taken on a different color.

“Orange, Longbottom,” said Snape, ladling some up and allowing it to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see. “Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn’t you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn’t I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?”

Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

Maya felt an urge to help Neville and didn’t think twice before she spat at Snape.

“And What do _I_ have to do, Professor, to make _you_ understand the purpose of shampoo? Maybe people will actually start listening to you once the threat of your greasy hair touching us is gone.”

It’s not exactly uncommon for Maya to act this way in Potions class. After all, she made a promise in her first year to torment Snape for being unfair and cruel, and she has so far lived up to her promise.

However, what she said shocked the class into silence. Professor Snape glared at her and she refused to look away. It was so quiet in the classroom; the only noise was the bubbling of the student’s potions. Snape didn’t stop glaring at Maya until the sound of Ron’s cackling broke the silence. Pretty soon everyone was laughing, mostly the Gryffindors and Maya, but even Draco gave a quick chuckle.

“Enough!” Snape shouted angrily.

_‘Oh God_ …’ she thought, ‘ _now is the time he finally takes House Points from Slytherin._ ’

Snape gave her one last glare before turning his gaze on Ron who was still laughing.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for causing a disturbance in class,” he sneered then turned around to ignore everyone’s protests.

Maya whispered an apology to Ron before getting back to her potion. As she worked, she wondered she would have to do to actually get Professor Snape to take away house points. A normal student wouldn’t want to lose any points for their House, but Maya set a goal in her first year to find her professor’s limit, and she would not fail.

“Hey, Harry,” said Seamus Finnigan, interrupting Maya’s thoughts on turning Snape’s greasy black hair pink, “have you heard? _Daily Prophet_ this morning – they reckon Sirius Black’s been sighted.”

“Where?” said Harry, Ron, and Maya in unison. Next to Maya, Draco looked up and listened closely.

“Not too far from here,” said Seamus, who looked excited. “It was a Muggle who saw him. ‘Course, she didn’t really understand. The Muggles think he’s just an ordinary criminal, don’t they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone.”

“Not too far from here…” Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry. He turned around the and saw Draco watching closely.

“What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?”

Maya saw the way his eyes shined malevolently and were fixated on Harry. He leaned across the table.

“Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” said Harry offhandedly.

Maya knew he was joking, but she knew Harry well enough that she wouldn’t put it past him to do something stupid and dangerous, like going after a murderer himself. She was about to lecture him on not doing anything stupid this year, when she saw Draco’s lips curve into a mean smile and interrupted her.

“Of course, if it was me,” he said quietly, “I’d have done something before now. I wouldn’t be staying in school like a good boy, I’d be out there looking for him.”

Maya snorted. “Yeah right, you can barely handle a boo-boo elbow.”

Draco scowled at her then turned back to Harry.

“What are you talking about, Malfoy?” said Ron roughly.

“Don’t you _know_ , Potter?” breathed Draco, eyes narrowing.

Both Maya and Harry both became curious of what Draco was saying.

“Know what?” Harry asked.

Draco let out a low, sneering laugh.

“Maybe you’d rather not risk your neck,” he said. “Want to leave it to the dementors, do you? But if it was me, I’d want revenge. I’d hunt him down.”

She realized then that Draco knew something about Sirius Black, and she immediately wanted to know what it was. Whether it was so she could get information and keep Harry safe, or just pure curiosity, she couldn’t tell.

“ _What are you talking about_?” said Harry angrily, but at the same moment Snape called, “You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we’ll test Longbottom’s…”

Crabbe and Goyle openly laughed as Neville stirred his potion feverishly. Hermione was muttering instructions to him out of the corner of her mouth, so that Snape wouldn’t see. Maya waited for Ron and Harry to leave to wash their hands until she asked Draco what he knew.

“What were you on about?” she asked him quietly.

The malevolent look in his pale eyes left once he turned his attention back to her, replaced instead with a kind look.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” he responded coolly.

She frowned at him. “That wasn’t nothing. You know something about Sirius Black, what is it?”

Draco shook his head and sighed. He should have known not to bring this up around Maya, she would never let this go.

“I’ll tell you later, not in the middle of class though,” he sighed.

“When’s later?” she asked. “I know you! Don’t say later and then assume I’ll forget; I’ll just keep asking!”

“Merlin, Frances! Relax!” Draco laughed. “I know you well enough by now to know you won’t leave me alone about this. We have a free period next; we’ll go to The Room of Choices and I’ll tell you then.”

Maya smiled and squeezed his arm. “Thanks! Well, now that that’s done,” Maya smacked the back of his head. “Why are you constantly such an asshole?! Does it pain you to be nice just once? I swear one day I’ll—”

She was cut off by Snape. “Everyone gather ‘round,” he said, standing next to Neville and his potion, black eyes glittering. “Watch what happens to Longbottom’s toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don’t doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned.”

Everyone in the class watched with either fear or excitement. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon in to Neville’s potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor’s throat.

There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape’s palm.

The Gryffindors and Maya burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.

“Five points from Gryffindor,” said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. “I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed.”

Maya packed up her things eagerly, ready to leave with Draco. Draco waited by the door and they walked out together, about to turn in the direction of their room until Pansy jumped in front of them.

“Hi, Draco!” she chirped and linked her arm through his. “Would you like to play a game of chess? I haven’t seen you all week!” She pursed her lips into a pout and made bulgy eyes at him.

Maya wanted to gag at the sight of it. Everything about Pansy was so fake just to get Draco’s attention. Most Slytherins were like that though, she had noticed. They all had to act a certain way to get someone’s approval or attention, and Maya felt bad for them.

Draco released his arm from her grip.

“Maybe later, Pans. I promised Maya I’d talk to her first,” he apologized politely.

Pansy glared at Maya who was now smirking. Maya grabbed Draco’s hand and laced their fingers together just to see Pansy get angrier. It probably wasn’t a nice thing to do, she thought, but to be fair, Pansy wasn’t exactly a nice person.

“Draco, if I were you, I would be more careful about who you hang around with,” Pansy sneered. “Making those comments at a Professor is going to get her in trouble one day, and she might take you and your reputation with her.”

Maya scoffed. “Please, Snape had it coming. If he ever does decide to give me detention, I’ll make sure he keeps Draco out of it.”

Pansy’s glare became even angrier, if looks could kill Maya would probably be dead on the ground.

“She doesn’t even care about your injury!” Pansy spat, desperate for Draco to be with her. “She’s been calling you a baby all week! I would treat you properly!”

Before Maya could speak again, Draco tugged her arm and shook his head.

“We’ll see you later, Pansy,” he said calmly and walked past her, Maya still holding his hand and following. She stuck her tongue out at Pansy one last time before Pansy stomped away.

They walked together in silence. Maya didn’t realize she never let go of Draco’s hand even though Pansy was long gone, but neither had Draco. She felt her face heat up and hoped it wasn’t that noticeable, but when she saw Draco’s face it was just as pink.

“That wasn’t childish of you,” he said sarcastically, finally breaking the silence.

“You don’t get to tell me what is and isn’t childish,” she spat back at him. “All class you were being awful to Harry and Ron.”

They reached the painting and each bowed and curtsied at the queen then stepped inside.

“I wasn’t being awful, my arm hurt,” Draco defended himself.

She rolled her eyes at him. “That’s such bullshit! Your arm is fine!”

“So I made them do a little extra work!” Draco shouted. “You know how Pansy feels about me, you could have at least been polite! She’s probably run off sulking somewhere!”

“Am I supposed to feel bad?” Maya spat, and roughly sat on the couch. “If you heard half the shit she’s said about other girls in our dorm, maybe you would react the same! Someone ought to show her she’s not the queen of the world!”

They were silent after that. None of them sure what to say. Eventually Draco cave in and sat next to her on the couch.

“You were right, I don’t need help with my potions,” he admitted.

She sighed. “You look like an idiot when you complain about your arm.”

“Well, it did hurt at first!” He shouted but laughed as well knowing she was right.

She started to laugh now too. “I’m sure it did! But you look like you can barely take care of yourself and it’s _embarrassing_!”

Draco feigned hurt and gasped dramatically. “Me? Embarrassing? I’m Draco Malfoy, I can never be embarrassing.”

The two of them kept laughing together. Maya’s heart swelled with happiness as her and Draco laughed together. She loved moments like this when Draco let his guard down around her and was finally truly himself. She’s not sure how she managed to be lucky enough to see it and knew that no one would believe her if she said he was secretly really goofy and funny, but she was glad she got to see it. One day, she hopes, one day people will be able to see this side of Draco. The side that is silly, the side that is kind, and the side that shows he is just a child underneath all his walls.

Draco cleared his throat after the two of them finally contained their giggles.

“If I tell you what I know about Black, what exactly do you plan on doing with that information?” He asked, face becoming serious once again.

Maya furrowed her eyebrows and thought before answering. She’s not sure what she was going to do, she just felt a strange desire to know about the ex-death eater. She was going to wait for a few private lessons with Trelawney before she tried getting a vision with the wanted poster of Sirius Black, not wanting to black out like she did last year. So, she wanted to collect as much information as she could for now.

She shrugged. “Dunno, I just want to know about him. What you said was strange though. About Harry wanting to get revenge.”

“That was kind of just to get a rise out of Potter,” Draco admitted. “I mean I’m sure he might get angry if he knows the truth, but surely Potter won’t be as stupid to go after a murderer.”

Maya looked at him with an “Are you stupid?” expression.

“Okay maybe he would,” Draco laughed. “But with Granger I doubt she would let him even get close.”

“Yeah, but you know how Gryffindors are,” Maya chuckled. She wasn’t usually one to judge someone on their house, but Gryffindors had a tendency to jump into a situation without fully thinking it through. “The three of them might jump at the chance to save the school…again.”

Draco gasped. “Whoa, Frances…are you feeling okay?” He put his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. “Did you just speak poorly of the Gryffindors?”

She swatted his hand away and laughed. “Shut up, you know I’m right.”

Draco caught her hand that swatted his and held it in his own. Maya stared at him, blue eyes wide with confusion, but not pulling away.

“Um…” she said awkwardly.

Draco’s face turned pink once again and he coughed before he spoke.

“Um…” he started, “so we’re allowed to go out to Hogsmeade this year.”

“Yeah…what about it?”

“Well…I’ve been there before and all. You know, pureblood, and I know you haven’t had a chance to see it yet. I don’t know if you had any plans yet…” Draco shook his head and started to ramble. “No of course you would. You’re you, you have like a bunch of other friends that you probably planned to go out with. This was stupid never mind.”

Maya squeezed his hand. “I’ve got no plans.”

This time it was Draco’s eyes that had gone wide. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, and then opened it again.

“What were you thinking?” Maya whispered kindly to him.

“Well…I was hoping that I could show you around. Just you and me…and we could go to the Three Broomsticks together…” he took a deep breath then continued, “like on a date.”

Both of them turned a deep shade of red and Maya felt a weird feeling in her stomach. It felt like her heart was beating a thousand miles a second and like her stomach was doing acrobatics. She honestly didn’t know how to answer.

She’d be lying if she said she never thought about dating Draco before. The two of them got very close over the past year. Draco has told her more about himself and his struggles at home than he’s ever told anyone and her friendship with him did feel a bit different than her other friendships. But was it a crush? She just assumed they were really close and all. But then again, they did often hold hands, and when reading in the Common Room or Room of Choices…she finds herself playing with Draco’s hair…so maybe it was more than a friendship. But why was she feeling guilty at the thought of saying yes to the date? And weirdest of all…why was she thinking about George?

“Okay,” Maya finally spoke and smiled, “that sounds like fun. I’d love to go on a date with you.”

Whatever guilt she was feeling and whatever strange thoughts of George she was having she pushed it to the back of her mind and deemed it not important. She was probably just thinking of him because she knew how much he didn’t like her friendship with Draco, but he has gotten used to it, so obviously he’d be okay if she went on a date with him.

Draco smiled at her. “Really? You sure?”

Maya nodded and squeezed his hand. “Positive.”

“Brilliant!” He sighed and finally relaxed and leaned back on the couch. “That wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it’d be.”

Maya chuckled and relaxed as well. They were silent for a while until Maya suddenly remembered why they were even here in the first place.

“Wait! You still haven’t told me what you know about Sirius Black!” she scolded him. “Were you trying to change the topic?”

Draco sighed. “Not on purpose. It’s not much, how about I tell you in the Three Broomsticks, so I can tell you about a psycho killer while drinking butterbeer.”

Maya snorted. “Yeah, that’s a fun first date conversation.”

“Clearly I know how to woo the ladies,” Draco grinned and wriggled his eyebrows. “Talk about a murderer then give them a sweet drink and they swoon.”

Maya laughed for a moment then frowned. “When is the first Hogsmeade visit?”

“They haven’t made an official announcement yet, but I talked to my father and he said it would likely be in October.”

“October!” she gawked. “You’re going to make me wait almost a month till you tell me what you know?”

“Relax it’s not _that_ long,” he replied calmly.

“But Black was spotted not too far from here! Any information would be helpful now!” she argued.

“Look, it’s not that big a deal. What I know won’t help ‘protect’ Potter,” he used finger quotes when saying protect, “it’s just about his charges and stuff. I promise I’ll let you know then.”

Maya crossed her arms and frowned; she didn’t know _why_ he couldn’t just tell her now. But when she looked at him, she saw how tired he looked and realized he probably used a lot of energy trying to get the courage to ask her out, so she let it drop.

“Fine, I’ll wait…” she sighed in defeat.

-

The rest of the week had gone by smoothly. She finished up classes for the week and she enjoyed each of her new classes, even if Divination was strange, she did enjoy it. She really liked their new DADA professor and she found out pretty much everyone else did too, with the exception of the Slytherins who would make jokes about Professor Lupin’s worn-out robes.

Maya hadn’t told anyone about her date with Draco yet. She wanted to tell Lucy right away, but there was still no official announcement on when their first Hogsmeade trip would be, so she wanted to wait till then. She was especially hesitant to tell George, knowing he wouldn’t be too thrilled with the idea. So, for now, her and Draco waited to let their friends know about their plans for Hogsmeade.

It was now the first Saturday of the school year which meant while everyone was outside having fun and enjoying the last few warm days, and Maya would be stuck having private lessons with Professor Trelawney. She received a letter the night before from Trelawney telling her to arrive in her classroom the next day at one as a reminder in case she forgot.

It was currently 12:30 and Maya was sitting at the Gryffindor table with the twins and Lucy, eating lunch while the twins convinced her to skip the lesson.

“It’s Saturday!” George exclaimed for the hundredth time that day. “She’ll understand if you skip the lesson if you’re spending it outside having fun!”

“Yeah!” Fred agreed. “It’s one of the last few warm weekends we have, so you _have_ to spend it outside!”

Maya sighed. “I can’t! It’s the first lesson, how would it look if I ditched the first lesson with her? She’d think I’m irresponsible.”

“So?” Fred asked, as if being seen as irresponsible wasn’t a big deal.

“ _So_ ,” she glared at him, “I can’t miss this lesson. It’ll probably only be an hour at most.”

Lucy groaned and gave her friend a pleading look. “Maya, you can’t leave me alone with these two.”

Maya laughed. “Sorry, you’ll have to manage for an hour.”

“It’s gonna be the longest hour of my life,” Lucy grumbled and took a big bite of a turkey sandwich.

“We’re sitting right here, ya know?” Fred pointed out.

“We hear you whining,” George said.

“Good,” both girls grinned.

They continued to tease each other while eating and Fred and George continued to try and convince Maya, now with the help of Lucy as well. By the time it was 12:50, Maya decided she should start heading to the class in case she got lost again. She waved goodbye to Lucy and Fred who were currently throwing pieces of sandwich at each other then wished George luck with the two of them and promised she’d be back to enjoy the weekend with him in an hour. Before she left, she was stopped.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” George asked, brown eyes mixed with an emotion Maya couldn’t quite read.

“No,” she smiled at him, “thanks though. You have fun, I’ll meet you guys by the Great Lake later.”

He nodded and Maya saw a glint of disappointment before he quickly replaced it with a smile.

The walk to the classroom wasn’t as bad as the first time. She only made one wrong turn and she found the painting of Sir Cadogan who helped redirect her again. He was a strange painting, a bit mental like Ron described, but helpful none the less.

When she arrived, Professor Trelawney was already there gazing at a crystal ball.

“Uh…hi Professor,” she said awkwardly. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”

Professor Trelawney jumped a bit at the sound of her voice and looked up at her.

“Of course not, dear. I was just watching your arrival actually,” she smiled nervously at Maya.

Maya gave her a look of shock mixed with a bit of fear at the idea of her professor watching her.

“You can do that?” she asked.

“Of course, I can!” Professor Trelawney replied excitedly, happy that Maya is showing interest. “It is a bit slow though, which is why I was a bit surprised by your voice when you arrived. I saw you speaking with Mr. Weasley, very strange friendship a Gryffindor and a Slytherin.”

Maya scowled. “Not being friends with someone based off the color of their tie is ridiculous.”

Professor Trelawney seemed taken aback by Maya’s sudden attitude and shook her head.

“You misunderstand me,” she said hurriedly. “It is a rare friendship, but not impossible. I’m glad some people are able to see past their school uniform and can continue to be friends with others. I see a bright future for you and Mr. Weasley.”

Maya flushed at her last statement. “Um…thanks…”

Trelawney gestured for Maya to take a seat at the table with the crystal ball. She took the seat across from her Professor and sat awkwardly while waiting for her to start.

“So how have these visions occurred in the past?” Trelawney asked and filled cups that had a floral design up with tea.

“What do you mean?”

“I just want to know what they have been like. How they started, what they feel like, and what happens after,” she said, pushing a floral cup of tea towards Maya who took it gratefully.

“Oh, well I never had them until I got to Hogwarts. I obviously showed signs of magic as a kid, but never any visions,” she started. “It wasn’t until I first met Harry actually…we were on the train and I shook his hand. It was weird I felt an odd tug in my gut, that happens every time, and then I saw strange images.”

“Images?” Professor Trelawney sipped her tea, she hadn’t made eye contact with Maya the entire time she noticed. Just like last time, and the same feeling she had in the class came back as well, a weird feeling of frustration and anger. Maya took a sip of her tea to try and calm herself down, not knowing why she felt this way.

“Yeah, like little glimpses of his future. Him talking to Malfoy and him falling off his broom, things like that. It happened at the end of the year too—”

“Yes, I remember hearing about that,” Trelawney thought out loud. “Professor Quirrell forced a vision, correct?”

Maya nodded and tensed up at the memory of being held forcefully by her old Professor.

“And how were the visions last year?”

Maya shrugged and thought about how to answer. The visions were definitely different last year than they were her first year at Hogwarts.

“At first they started off the same as my first year. Kinda suddenly, I would bump into something and would get a vision and see glimpses of the future,” she responded, thinking of the time she got a vision in Ginny’s room when she first arrived at the Burrow.

“Then what were they like?”

Maya’s face scrunched up. “Aggressive,” she answered, “they became aggressive. I started to hear things too. That’s never happened before. Once that happened, I felt more drained afterwards.” Then she suddenly remembered the night she first tried to get a vision purposefully. “One night I tried to get control and have a vision. I went back to where Mrs. Norris was petrified and I started off there, but when I came back from the vision I somehow ended up in the dungeons, by Professor Snape’s class.”

Professor Trelawney’s face was thoughtful. “That’s interesting, I’ve never heard of something like that happening but will research further.” She looked up from her cup and looked at Maya, but not in the eyes. “So you were successful in getting a vision on your own?”

“Twice, actually,” Maya said, telling her about the vision with Tom Riddle and how aggressive that one was. Professor Trelawney watched fearfully as she mentioned Tom Riddle’s name and how she felt during the vision. When Maya finished, she was quiet for a moment before she finally spoke.

“So you are obviously better at controlling the visions than you were your first year. But you will definitely need more practice, so you don’t feel as weak afterwards,” Trelawney told her. “I am curious though, how do you know where to go to get these visions? Or how do you know what to investigate?”

“Well, last year I guess I was given clues about Tom Riddle. The voices I heard repeated that name, but the first time I tried it was kind of a lucky guess really,” Maya answered honestly. “There are somethings that I feel like are calling out to me…like I need to get a vision from them…” Maya thought of her strange desire to figure out more about Sirius Black. “But that only started kind of recently.”

“Can I ask what you would like to get a vision of?” Trelawney asked nervously.

Maya was going to make up some lie, knowing that if she told the truth she could get in trouble, but the frustration and anger she was feeling was suddenly much stronger and what came out of her mouth shocked the both of them.

“Can you look me in the eye when speaking to me?”

Professor Trelawney flinched at the harsh tone Maya had used. Maya didn’t even recognize her own voice when she said it and instantly covered her mouth after realizing what she said.

Eyes wide with shock, she instantly apologized. “Professor, I am so so sorry…I don’t know where that came from. I’m honestly sorry, I would never speak to Professor like that…unless it was Snape but really—”

Trelawney shook her head and finally looked into Maya’s eyes and smiled a gentle smile.

“You’re right, I should be addressing you properly and not avoiding your gaze,” she said. “There’s no need for me to be scared—”

“Scared?!” Maya cried. “What are you scared of?” Maya watched her Professor’s face fall slightly, she looked ashamed. It hit her suddenly that somehow Professor Trelawney was afraid of _her_. But…

“Why?” Maya whispered, but shook her head and thought better of it. That’s not important. She gave a small smile to her teacher. “That’s not important. Professor, whatever reason you’re scared of me for, you can forget it. I’m thirteen and 5’1, I’m probably the least threatening person in your class.”

Trelawney relaxed and gave her a grateful smile. “Miss Frances, you are an interesting student, I suppose I’m just worried about…the power you have in the future. But you are right, I shouldn’t be frightened of a student, especially when we are expected to spend plenty of time together.” She extended her hand for Maya to shake in greeting. “Shall we start over?”

Maya beamed and shook her hand excitedly, the anger she was feeling earlier slowly subsiding.

“Now, let’s get on with the lesson,” Trelawney started, feeling much more comfortable. She began explaining the history behind the Sight and the Inner Eye and how not everyone is lucky enough to have this talent, though Maya wouldn’t necessarily call it luck. Maya was glad her teacher finally felt comfortable around her and as she explained theories and history she felt just as excited as her teacher, her energy being contagious.

Before she knew it almost an hour had passed, and she was finally given a task.

“If you haven’t noticed already, the cups we have been drinking out of are not the same as the ones we used in class to read our futures,” she explained. “These cups are in fact very dear to me, but I’m not going to tell you why. Instead, I would like _you_ to tell me.”

Maya stared at her with confusion. “How?”

“I would like you to try and get a vision with the cup you are using, it’s okay if you can’t right away, but I’d like you to try.”

“But I don’t understand,” Maya admitted. “I can see the future with my visions, not the past.”

Trelawney gave her a knowing smile. “The past is part of the future. One must look into the past, understand and accept it, before jumping straight into the future.”

Maya moved her eyes from Trelawney to the cups and considered what she was saying. She didn’t feel any urge to read from the cups like she felt towards the wanted poster of Sirius Black but knew it wouldn’t hurt to try. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes then slowly placed gentle fingers on the cup.

She felt a slight pull in her gut, as if the vision was asking for permission if she wanted to see or not, rather than in the past when they came abruptly. Maya cleared her mind and envisioned a door. By opening the door, she realized, she would be allowing the vision to enter her mind. She pictured the door opening and was engulfed in a bright light, then as quick as the light came, it was gone. She felt herself in a familiar looking room. She gasped when she realized she was no longer in Professor Trelawney’s classroom. Judging off the paintings in the room and the familiar fireplace, she realized she was in McGonagall’s office. But she wasn’t _actually_ there, she was watching a memory that took place there.

She looked around more and found both McGonagall and Trelawney sitting together by the fireplace, a table in between them and McGonagall handed her a box that was wrapped neatly in silver and blue wrapping paper.

“Happy Birthday, Syball,” McGonagall smiled.

Trelawney unwrapped the box and Maya forced the vision to let her get a closer look. Inside the box were the same floral cups they were using to drink tea.

Maya let go of the pull and closed the door in her mind to let herself come back to the present then slowly opened her eyes. She saw Trelawney watching her curiously.

“It was a birthday gift,” Maya answered slowly. “From McGonagall, maybe last year? I couldn’t really get that part.”

The Professor beamed at her and smiled. “Correct! Wonderful! And how do you feel?”

“A little tired,” Maya admitted, “but not as bad as it usually is.”

“Excellent!” she cheered. “Well, I suppose our time is up for today, but you really have shown a great talent. I’m proud of you.”

Maya felt proud of herself as well. Not only did she get the vision, but she got her Professor to trust her as well.

“Thank you, Professor.”

“Of course,” she shook Maya’s hand for the second time that day. “I’ll see you same time next week.”

Maya nodded and sat up from her seat. She waved goodbye one last time then left the classroom.

She walked happily through the halls, excited to get to spend time with her friends. She reached the courtyard and squinted her eyes at the bright sun and looked for her friends. She saw a flash of red hair and saw Lucy and the twins throwing rocks into the Great Lake. George caught her eye first and smiled and waved at her. Maya’s smile grew wider and she waved back and ran over to them.

-

A month had passed since then and it was now the start of October. Maya found herself looking forward to her private lessons with Trelawney and the days she had Divination. The anger she first felt towards Trelawney was for the most part gone, sometimes it would randomly come up, but she had better control of it since the time she lost her temper. She forced any anger and frustration down and it sat in the bottom of her stomach. She still had no idea why she felt this way because she actually did like Professor Trelawney, no matter how strange she was.

The lessons ended up being very helpful. She practiced having more visions and after just a few lessons she no longer felt drained after them. She also practiced on a crystal ball once, she didn’t really see anything, but made something up so she wouldn’t disappoint her Professor. Trelawney decided she wanted to work on sharing her visions next which is something Maya never thought she’d be able to do, but she was informed that it was in fact possible. So far, each time she tried (a few times out of lessons with Lucy to see if they can find out who her secret date is) she had failed, but Trelawney told her not to be discouraged because it is a challenging task.

Draco was right about the Hogsmeade trip. Once it was October there was an announcement that the first trip would be on Halloween. Maya knew she should probably tell Lucy about her date with Draco, but she didn’t know how to bring it up.

One night in the middle of October, about two weeks before the trip, Maya, Lucy, and the twins admitted they were slow on their pranks this year and agreed to make Snape their first victim. Professor Snape had been especially angry this year and no one knew why, but it was becoming unbearable, so naturally the group of four needed to prank him.

It was a simple prank. They stole some devil snare plants from the herbology greenhouse, and they planned on leaving it in different spots around his classroom, so by the next morning the room would be filled with it and if not, it would at least tangle up a few students and possibly even Snape himself.

It was when they were setting up the prank when it was first brought up.

“I can’t wait till we can all go to Hogsmeade,” Fred said while placing some of the devil snare under Snape’s desk. “We’re going to Zonko’s first, gotta stock up.”

Maya froze, not sure what to say. Lucy from the other side of the classroom complained.

“Why does it have to be the _first_ thing we do?” She folded her arms on her chest and glared at him. “What if I wanted to go to Honeydukes first?”

“Because you guys have never been, so you have no choice but to follow us,” Fred teased and stuck his tongue out at her. Lucy flipped him off in response.

Maya sighed, now was as good a time as any to tell them.

“I uh…I don’t think I’ll be going with you guys this time,” she muttered awkwardly, all three heads turning to her immediately.

“What? Why?” George exclaimed.

Maya’s face had turned red as she kept her eyes focused on the devil snare, refusing to look at either of them.

“I sorta have… _adatewithmalfoy_ ,” she mumbled the last part quickly.

Lucy laughed. “Can you say that again, maybe in English this time?”

“I have a date with Draco,” she admitted and heard the sound of a pot being dropped.

She finally turned around to see that George dropped one of the pots of devil snare he was holding, and it started to wrap itself around his legs.

“Shit!” He yelped and started panicking. He patted his pockets for his wand but couldn’t find it and the more he panicked, the more tied up he became.

Fred looked for his wand to help his brother, but he left it on the other side of the classroom by Lucy. Maya was the closest one to George, she pointed her wand at him to help get him out, but when she opened her mouth to shout _“Lumos!”_ It was someone else’s voice instead. A deep voice that was definitely not Maya’s.

The plant shuddered and untangled itself from George then stopped moving. All four of their heads turned to see who had cast the spell and saw Professor Lupin by the door. They were stunned silent, all trying to come up with some sort of excuse as to what they were doing up past curfew and why they were in Snape’s classroom. But before anyone could say anything he winked then walked away, as if he saw nothing at all.

“Bloody hell!” Fred cackled. “I thought we were about to get detention for the rest of the year!”

Lucy finally caught her breath and laughed as well. “I thought we were done for!”

George, however, didn’t care at all about what had happened and wanted to get back to the original topic.

“Malfoy?!” He cried.

Maya ducked her head down in embarrassment. “Yeah…”

“Malfoy?!” He yelled again.

“Yup,” she affirmed, finally looking up at him awkwardly.

“Merlin…” he ran his hand through his hair and looked at Fred and Lucy and was confused to see they weren’t as appalled as him. “Are you guys hearing this?”

Lucy shrugged. “I mean it’s not really our decision is it?” She glared at George then looked back at Maya. “I’m just a little hurt you didn’t tell me sooner.”

Maya looked at her friend apologetically. “I wanted to! But I figured it’d be best to wait until they announced the date of the first weekend and then I got distracted and nervous and—” Lucy was suddenly at her side and squeezed her hand.

“It’s fine, as long as you like him it’s fine with me,” she smiled. “But you have to let me help you pick out an outfit, you don’t get a choice, I’m helping.”

Maya smiled at her and nodded.

“So we’re going to ignore the fact that it’s Malfoy she’s going on a date with?” George argued from behind them.

Fred finally spoke up. “I’m not too fond of it either but can’t say it wasn’t expected.”

George stared wide-eyed at his brother. “Are you kidding? It’s a bit unexpected! Unless you two have been secretly snogging and I’m the only one who doesn’t know!” He gagged at the thought.

Maya flushed and felt all the anger that she’s kept pent up inside from Trelawney all come up at once. Lucy must have noticed her friend’s anger and covered her mouth before she could scream so loud to get them all caught. But Maya didn’t need her voice, she pointed her wand at George and sent a spell at him without a thought.

The second the spell hit him though, the anger completely disappeared, and she was shocked with herself the same way she was shocked after she snapped at Trelawney. It was a simple stinging hex, but she was still terrified of what she did. What if she accidentally did something worse than a stinging hex?

“Frances! What the hell!” Fred yelled and ran immediately to his brother. Even Lucy stepped back from her friend in shock.

“I-I don’t know! I didn’t mean to do that!” She desperately tried to explain. She tried to step closer to George to make sure he was okay, but he stepped back in fear, making her flinch.

“D-Do you want me to get Professor Lupin,” she suggested quietly, “to make sure you’re okay.”

George shook his head but stared at her with bewilderment. “No, I’m fine.”

“I’m really sorry, I swear I wasn’t thinking, and I got mad. I don’t know why I did that,” she begged them to understand.

“I think we set up enough plants for tonight,” Fred said. “Let’s head back, we’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Then the twins left to head to the Gryffindor common room while Lucy stayed there with Maya.

“Lucy you have to believe me, I don’t know what happened,” she pleaded to her friend, eyes building up with tears.

“I believe you,” Lucy said and squeezed her hand. “But how did you do that eye thing?”

She looked at her friend, eyebrow raised in confusion. “What eye thing?”

“Well normally when you get mad your face gets all scrunched up and you kinda do this thing where you hold your breath before you yell really loudly, which is how I knew to cover your mouth—”

“Lucy, what eye thing?”

“Maya…for a second when you shot the spell…your eyes turned black.”

-

The next two weeks passed quickly, and George told Maya he forgave her, but she could tell things were different. He didn’t sit next to her the next morning when she tried to apologize, and he started talking to other people whenever she tried talking to him. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was still mad at her for going out with Draco, or if even worse…he was scared of her.

At least with Fred she knew he was mad at her, and she couldn’t blame him. She hexed his brother, she’s shocked that Ron and Ginny were still talking to her. Fred eventually came around, he knew she was sorry, but it took a while and Lucy’s convincing.

It was now the day of the first Hogsmeade weekend and Maya’s stomach was in knots all morning. She barely slept the night before due to nerves, which was ridiculous because it was just Draco. She liked Draco, or at least thought she did. Her feelings for him were still confusing, but she figured that was normal for a first date.

Either way, she didn’t want to sit with Draco for breakfast, so they would have more to talk about on the date, so she sat with Lucy at the Ravenclaw table. She’s pretty sure that Lucy is more excited about this date than she is.

Her and Daphne helped pick out an outfit for her. Lucy wanted to do it on her own, but Daphne has known Draco since childhood and knew what he liked so she figured her input would be helpful. In the end they decided on a green sweater since it was Draco’s favorite color, and a black skirt with black tights. It was similar to their school uniform, but with more of her style in it. The two girls wanted Maya to wear small boots with a slight heel, but they would be walking most of the day and Maya isn’t the most graceful in heels, so she convinced them to let her wear converse.

Lucy went on and on about how excited she was for Hogsmeade and how she was expected to hear everything about the date when she came back, by the time it was time to leave Maya was almost glad to be free of her friend’s nonstop chatter…almost.

They got to the entrance hall where Filch was holding a list of students’ names when she caught eye with Draco. Lucy giggled and lightly shoved her towards Draco who looked just as nervous.

“Hey,” she mustered up enough courage to say.

“Hey,” Draco responded awkwardly. “You ready?”

Maya smiled and grabbed his hand. “Yup! Lead the way!”

They walked down to the village together, getting strange glances from several students. She guessed the two of them together did seem pretty odd. Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy family, holding hands with a muggleborn, but Draco didn’t seem to mind.

It was a bit awkward at first, neither of them really knowing what to say. Normally the two of them were good at talking to each other, but the pressure of what was going on was difficult for the both of them. Draco told her the plans he came up with, he figured she’d want to start at Honeydukes, then wanted to take her to a small bookshop that he knew she would like, then they’d finish off at the Three Broomsticks. She smiled at the thought of him planning all of this for the two of them.

“Hey, what if we made a small stop near the Shrieking Shack?” she suggested.

Draco made a face. “Why would you want to do that?”

She shrugged. “I dunno, Fred and George said it’s haunted and that seemed kinda cool. We don’t have to though.”

“Seems a bit odd to go to a place that’s haunted when we go to a school with ghosts. Don’t you think?”

Maya nodded and tried to hide her disappointment. “You’re right, let’s stick with your plan.”

And so, the two of them took on the quaint village together. Draco laughed at Maya’s first impression of Honeydukes. She ran around the store eagerly picking out new candies and thought about how her brothers would love this shop. She made a mental note to come back before Christmas to bring them gifts.

The majority of the day was spent in the bookshop. The two of them would go around and laugh at strange book titles and then took challenges in trying to find the funniest pages. Maya found a muggle section and jumped with excitement when she found the Chronicles of Narnia there. She bought a copy of the first book for herself then told Draco that he has to read it when she’s done because they were famously known and because she thought he would laugh at the magic in it. They pretty much spent an hour, maybe two, at the bookshop then realized they were hungry and went out.

When at the Three Broomsticks, they were seated with a table for two by a window in the back corner. Draco ordered them each a butterbeer and they waited patiently. While waiting, things became awkward. The sudden realization that they were on a date hit them both as they sat alone at a table and they didn’t know what to say. Maya was grateful when Madam Rosmerta came to give them their butterbeer and she almost asked her to stay so things wouldn’t be awkward.

Maya looked around the place to try and find something to start a conversation with and her eyes landed on the familiar wanted poster of Sirius Black. She thought back of Draco’s promise to tell her what he knows, and she started bouncing her leg under the table excitedly.

“So…can you tell me now?” she asked him.

“Tell you what?” Draco asked, not remembering the promise.

“About—” she paused then remembered she was in public and whispered, “Sirius Black.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Merlin, I forgot about that. Yeah, sure I’ll tell you.” Maya smiled and dramatically leaned on her elbow as if he were about to tell a fairytale.

“I only know this because of my father,” Draco started, “he went to school with him. Just a few years ahead. He told me about Sirius Black and his friendship with James Potter.” Maya gasped at the mention of Harry’s dad, but stayed silent to let him continue.

“According to father, the two of them were inseparable. They had a few other friends; I don’t remember their names…Peter and someone else. Anyways, You-Know-Who was after the Potters and somehow word got out to Dumbledore and his…crew,” Draco spoke of “Dumbledore and his crew” with a sense of distaste that Maya would have questioned if she wasn’t so eager to know more.

“The Potters were in hiding, using a Fidelius Charm—”

“A what?” Maya interrupted.

“It’s a complex spell, very advanced. It involves the magical concealment of a secret, inside a single, living soul.” Maya’s eyes widened. “The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is then impossible to find – unless the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it.”

“So,” Maya tried to understand, “as long as the Potter’s Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village they lived in and never find it?” Draco nodded. “And…their Secret-Keeper…it was…”

“Sirius Black,” Draco answered for her. “The Potter’s foolishly trusted him not knowing he was working with You-Know-Who, and he betrayed them.”

So many things ran through her mind, she didn’t know what to say. At first, she thought about how messed up it was to completely betray your best friend like that. After years of being inseparable, how could someone do that? She thought of Lucy, her best friend, she obviously would trust her with anything, she shuddered at the thought of either of them betraying each other. And finally, she thought of Harry. If Harry knew this, he wouldn’t hesitate to find Black himself to put an end to him. She couldn’t let Harry know…it’s too dangerous.

“If Harry knew…” she whispered out loud then thought better of it. Probably not a good idea to sympathize over Harry Potter when on a date with Draco Malfoy. “So, is that what he got arrested for? Betraying the Potters?”

Draco shook his head. “Once Black showed his true loyalty remained with the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who crumbled and became powerless. You know…Potter being a saint and all,” he scoffed at that. “Black was scared, You-Know-Who was defeated, and everyone knew he was a traitor, so he ran.

“He was in hiding and the ministry couldn’t find him. It was the old friend of his I mentioned earlier…Peter…Peter…Pettigrew that’s it! Peter Pettigrew—” The blood drained from Maya’s face at the familiarity of that name, but she couldn’t remember where she had heard it before. “Maya? You okay?”

She jumped. “What? Yeah, fine, sorry. Continue.”

“Pettigrew found him, he knew he betrayed the Potters and wanted to avenge them or some crap like that. He cornered Black on a street crowded with muggles. He yelled all the crap about how he killed Potter’s parents and reached for his wand, but Black was quicker. Blew the guy up to smithereens, left nothing but a finger.” Maya gagged a bit at the visual and pushed her butterbeer away.

“The explosion hit muggles as well, twelve died that day,” Draco said, finishing the story.

Something about that didn’t sit right, she has heard the name Peter Pettigrew before, she was certain of it. But she’s never heard this story before, so how? She considered telling Draco about it, but Draco was no longer paying any attention to her. She looked at him and saw him sitting wide-eyed, staring at someone behind her. She turned around and there were a couple of well-dressed adults she didn’t recognize walk in.

“Maya, you have to go,” he said hurriedly.

“What? Why?” she asked, and he gave no response, still watching the people behind her. “Draco, who are they?”

He looked at her. “They’re friends with my father,” he put his head in his hands. “Merlin, this was stupid of me. I shouldn’t have taken you out in public…”

Maya’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?” she exclaimed, a little louder than intended and Draco flinched, hoping his father’s friends didn’t see him.

“That’s not what I mean…” he started, but it was hopeless, and he was running out of time, they were getting closer. “Please, I’ll explain later,” he begged.

Angry, Maya pushed her chair from the table, got up, and stormed out. Her eyes burned and she felt tears threaten to pool out. As she got outside, she took a deep breath of the cool air and started to relax, but not for too long.

Familiar laughs were coming from a store nearby. She turned around and saw Lucy and the twins coming out of Zonko’s. Maya quickly ran in the opposite direction before they saw her. She would not cry over Draco Malfoy in front of George Weasley, all he would do is gloat and say, “I told you so!”

She ran for a few minutes until her legs felt weak and she found herself behind a random shop. She leaned against the back wall and the tears finally poured out. She was mad at herself for believing Draco Malfoy would see past the whole blood purity thing. She was mad at herself for scaring off George and hurting him. And she was especially mad at herself for crying over _two_ boys.

Suddenly she heard a rustle from the trees in front of her. She wiped her tears quickly and tried to listen again. There was a few cracks and snaps at the sound of someone, or something, breaking twigs. Maya reached for her wand with shaking hands, assuming that doing magic outside of Hogwarts didn’t apply when defending yourself. She pointed her wand at the woods and waited for whatever was coming to appear.

To her surprise, a pair of light eyes appeared, but not human eyes. They were eyes that belonged to a dog. A big black dog slowly made its way out of the woods and stared back at her. The dog growled at the sight of her wand and she quickly put it away and put her hands up in surrender.

“Hey,” she spoke softly to the dog, loud enough for it to hear. “I’m sorry…thought you were someone else. You know…stranger danger…” The dog stared back at her; growling stopped. “I won’t hurt you, don’t worry.”

She bent down and gestured for the dog to come. He looked like a stray and reminded her of her dog Bear when they first adopted her. Maya instantly felt the need to help the dog, which probably wasn’t smart, but at the time she didn’t care.

“Come on,” she smiled at the dog.

The dog sniffed the air then hesitantly started walking over to her. The dog finally closed the distance and Maya slowly reached out her hand for him to sniff before she pets him. The dog sniffed her hand then slowly started to wag his tail. Maya took that as a good sign and started to scratch the dog behind their ears, and it let her. Once the dog got closer and comfortable with her, she was able to see that the dog was a boy and he had no collar, confirming he was a stray.

“You poor thing,” she said in the voice she usually used to talk to her dog. “You must be hungry, huh?” He nibbled at the sleeve of her sweater making her laugh, he was definitely hungry. She looked into her bag of sweets she bought from Honeydukes, hoping she bought anything edible for a dog. She found something at the bottom of the bag and took it out.

“Can dogs eat pumpkin pasties?” she asked him. He didn’t wait one second and took the snack right out of her hand. “Well…I hope that’s a yes. If you get a stomachache, don’t blame me!” He wagged his tail again, hitting her in the face with it. “Watch that thing!” she teased, petting him again.

Once the dog finished eating, he looked at her. There was more emotion in this dog’s eyes than any dog she has ever seen, it was disturbingly humanlike. The dog whined and suddenly licked her face.

“Ugh!” she groaned and wiped her face. “Great! Now I’m probably gonna get a million diseases!” The dog licked her again. “What?!” she raised her voice at him. He bit the sleeve of her sweater again and lifted it to her face, as if he wanted her to see her own sleeve. Then she noticed the tear stains on them from when she wiped her tears and looked back at the dog shocked.

“No…you’re a dog…you can’t tell that I’ve been crying,” Maya reasoned with herself and laughed, but the dog gave a small bark and licked her face again. “What kind of dog are you?” She asked him, getting another lick in return. “Okay! Okay! Enough with the licks! I was crying before, but I’m okay now. You helped.”

The dog liked that and rolled onto his back and smiled, tongue hanging from the side of his mouth making her giggle.

“People are dumb,” she spoke to herself…or to the dog she honestly couldn’t tell. “I wish we all could just be dogs. You guys got it easy. You look cute and get belly rubs and treats! Don’t have to deal with stupid boys…especially Malfoy’s.”

The mention of the name Malfoy made the dog jump up from his back and bark.

“Yeah!” Maya laughed. “I agree! Fuck the Malfoy’s!” The dog barked again. Maya sighed, “I don’t actually mean that though…Draco is just scared I should at least give him a chance to explain before I decide to tell all dogs he’s evil.”

The dog placed his head on her lap, and she pet him again. She thought back to the summer before her second year. When her parents were fighting, her and her dog would cuddle together. Bear always protected her and her brothers, and the dog that currently had his head in her lap reminded her of Bear. She sighed contentedly as they sat there together.

The peace didn’t last very long though. The shopkeeper must have heard the barks earlier and made his way to the back of the shop. The dog jumped up quickly and ran away before Maya could even give him another treat in case he got hungry.

“What are you doing back here?” The shopkeeper asked angrily.

“Nothing,” Maya answered, starting at the woods where the dog ran, “just got lost.”

“Well get outta here, you should head back to school. The others are leaving and its dangerous times to be on your own. Sirius Black is on the loose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PADFOOT PADFOOT PADFOOT  
> if you can't tell I'm excited for Padfoot...  
> Also so sorry for the lack of updates I have been busy and just very sleep deprived so I've been dealing with that, but I got you a long chapter so I hope that makes up for it! I'll try and get back to a once a week schedule before I go back to school.  
> Follow me on Tumblr @miaafrances for when I update and other fun posts! (Also don't be shy to send messages on there with questions or whatever, I'd love to answer them for you...if they don't spoil)


	11. Chapter 11: Year 3-Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Who are you two talking about? Please tell me you’re not giving food to Sirius Black. Frances, I know you take sympathy for people like Malfoy, but Black is a murderer!”  
> Maya laughed and shook her head. “Trust me, he’s not—” A growl cut her off. She spun around quickly and saw Pumpkin in a pouncing position glaring daggers at George.  
> “Bloody Hell!” Fred yelped. “It’s the Grim!”  
> -  
> Maya names her new doggy friend, Lucy and Fred argue, and has George always looked this good?

Chapter 11

Maya walked back to the castle on her own after the Hogsmeade trip. She was feeling a bit better after meeting the strange dog, but still didn’t want to see Draco and didn’t want to walk with Lucy who would only ask how the date went.

If she was being honest, she felt exhausted. She used up a lot of energy getting the courage to go on the date and then when she finally relaxed, she got angry at Draco and all the emotions and chaos had left her drained. All she wanted to do was to go straight to bed and ignore everyone until the next day. But, if there’s one thing Maya loves more than sleeping and ignoring her issues, it’s eating her problems away and because it was Halloween, Hogwarts was putting together a big celebration feast.

She took her time walking back to the castle, appreciating whatever peaceful alone time she had left. Maya couldn’t help thinking about the dog once again. She kept thinking about how fast he ate that pumpkin pasty, as if he was starving. She wanted to give him more food before he left and felt guilty that he had run off so suddenly. Wherever he was now, she hoped it was somewhere warm as the weather was dropping along with the sun.

She got back to the castle not too late and had enough time to drop her things off in her dorm before she had to go to the Great Hall for the feast. As she walked into the common room, she felt jealous of Harry who owned an invisibility cloak. All she wanted was to walk to her dorm unnoticed and then head to the feast, but of course she couldn’t be that lucky.

Draco was sitting on one of the couches, leg bouncing, head in his hands, and hair tousled in a way that was so unlike him. Once he saw her, he stood up, accidentally bumping a small table with his knee.

“Frances!” He yelped alarmingly.

She walked past him and went up the stairs to the girl’s dorm. She wasn’t sure if she would yell at Draco or smack him, so ignoring him seemed like the best option. She opened the door to her shared dorm and noticed she wasn’t the only one in the room. Pansy Parkinson sat in her bed painting her already perfectly manicured nails with a knowing smirk on her face.

“Did you have a fun _date_?” she spat.

Maya didn’t have enough energy for this and tried to ignore Pansy the same way she ignored Draco. She walked to her trunk in front of her bed and started to put her new snacks and books in as quickly as possible.

“What happened, Frances?” Pansy mocked sympathy and wore a fake pout. “Did Draco finally come to his senses and realize he could do better?”

“Fuck off, Parkinson,” Maya grumbled.

“Oh please!” she cackled, “Don’t tell me you _actually_ thought he’d date someone like you! With your blood status!”

“And what did you do today, huh?” Maya turned towards her. “Spend the whole day moping on your own in bed?”

“He honestly probably just felt bad,” Pansy continued, ignoring Maya’s comment. “He saw you and wanted to teach you how to be a proper Slytherin. Unfortunately, today he realized his sacrifice was a lost cause.”

“Notice how even after he came back to the common room, he _still_ isn’t talking to you?” Maya spat, desperate to hurt Pansy enough to get her to back off before she did something she’d regret.

“At least I _have_ other people to talk to!” Pansy screamed. “All you do is follow Draco around—”

“I do not follow Draco! You’re the one who swarms him and begs for his attention!” Maya cut her off and slammed her trunk closed.

“Then when you don’t have _his_ attention,” she continued, “you run off to a filthy blood-traitor like the _Weasleys_. It’s pathetic.”

Maya had enough. Her vision blurred with rage and she pointed her wand at Pansy, but before she could do anything the door swung open and her wand flew out of her hand. Both girls turned around to see Daphne with both her own and Maya’s wand in her hands, standing in the doorway.

“What the hell is going on?” She shouted at them.

“Just putting Frances in her place,” Pansy sneered.

“Pansy, stop being a whiney bitch because Draco won’t go out with you and move on. You’re pretty and have several other guys who would be willing to take you out,” Daphne said in a tone that reminded Maya of her mother when her brothers got in trouble. “And Maya,” she moved her gaze to Maya, “you can’t solve everything with violence. Even if the person deserves it.”

When she finished lecturing the two, she tossed Maya’s wand back to her and she caught it gratefully. She was relieved that Daphne stopped her before she could cause actual harm on Pansy, but she also felt a bit disappointed.

“I’m going down to the Great Hall,” Maya muttered then walked out of the dorm before Daphne could follow.

She was relieved to see that Draco was no longer sat in the common room, but when she got to the Great Hall, she saw him sitting at the Slytherin table and obviously didn’t want to sit there. She looked at the Gryffindor table expecting to see Lucy there and debated whether or not it was worth sitting awkwardly near George if she had Lucy, but noticed she wasn’t sitting in her usual seat by Fred. She turned to the Ravenclaw table and saw her sitting there talking to another girl. Maya let out a small sigh of relief and walked over to the Ravenclaw table.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked, and Lucy smiled and moved over to make room. “Thanks.”

Lucy must have been able to sense Maya’s mood and didn’t ask anything about the date which Maya was grateful for but knew eventually she’d have to tell her. Instead for now they admired the decorations for Halloween and laughed as some of the web decorations came loose and fell on a few Hufflepuffs.

Maya couldn’t help but wonder why Lucy didn’t sit with the twins, though. Usually, they would sit with them during at least one meal, at least Maya did before she accidentally hexed George.

“Hey, why aren’t you sitting at the Gryffindor table tonight?” Maya finally got the courage to ask her.

Lucy sighed. “I would, but Fred’s in a pissy mood.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, you know how Trelawney said a while ago that someone would ask me out?” She asked and Maya nodded. “Today in Hogsmeade, the twins and Lee were running around in Zonko’s and I got bored so I wandered off in the store. I bumped into Seamus and well…”

“No way!” Maya yelled and gripped her friends arm with excitement. “Isn’t that a good thing? You were hoping it’d be him, right?”

“Yeah, it’s great!” Lucy smiled then frowned again. “I obviously said yes, but Fred was apparently one aisle over and overheard. For some reason he got really mad at me and I don’t know why.”

Maya looked over at the Gryffindor table and searched for Fred. When she found him, she caught him not so subtly glaring at Seamus from the other side of the table. Suddenly, it started to make sense.

“Hey…wait do you think he might be…” she started but Lucy groaned.

“Annoying? Selfish? Rude? Yeah, I do think that.”

Maya shook her head. “No, Luce, he might be—”

“Whatever the reason is, I don’t care! He has no right to voice an opinion on my love life,” Lucy huffed and made it clear that was the end of the discussion.

Maya sent a suspicious look to her friend then back at Fred. It would make sense if the two liked each other. Whenever the four of them were together she tended to stick closer to Fred and they always teased each other. But maybe the two of them didn’t realize their feelings yet?

‘ _Oh boy_ ,’ she thought, ‘ _this will be a fun journey.’_

They didn’t bring it up for the rest of the feast and Lucy still asked no questions about the date. Instead, they joked around with other Ravenclaws and ate until they felt sick.

When the feast was over Maya went back to her dorm quickly to avoid running into Pansy or Draco. She changed into her pajamas quickly and jumped into bed, closing the curtains before anyone made it back into the dorm.

The second her head hit her pillow all of her previous exhaustion came running back and her eyes fell shut and she slowly drifted to sleep. She felt like she’d only been asleep for five minutes before someone started shaking her awake.

“Maya! Get up!” Daphne shouted, shaking her more aggressively. “Snape is calling us all out; says we need to go to the Great Hall!”

“Mmph,” Maya made incoherent noises into her pillow.

Daphne pulled on her arm dragging her out of bed.

“We have to go!”

“Don’t want to,” she grumbled.

Daphne laughed. “Me neither, but we don’t have a choice. I’m sure it’ll only be for a short while.”

“Fiiiine,” Maya groaned and got up and put on her slippers before following Daphne out the door.

All the Slytherins were gathered into the common room with expressions of sleepiness and confusion. Maya saw Draco walk, or strut rather, down the stairs from the boy’s dormitory and head towards where she was standing.

“Do you know what’s going on?” he asked.

Maya seemed to forget her anger from before due to being abruptly shaken awake.

“No idea, but it better be important if it woke me up,” she threatened.

Snape did a quick head count of everyone then started to lead them all back to the Great Hall. Pansy managed to stay away from Maya, but Draco still hung close by.

“Hey,” he whispered to her, Snape didn’t want any of them talking. “I’m really sorry.”

Maya walked faster to get ahead of him, but he kept following.

“Can you just let me explain?” He pleaded.

“You don’t need to,” Maya whispered back aggressively. “You obviously decided going out with a muggleborn was a bad idea. I agree, we both can do better.”

Draco shook his head. “No, Maya, the people who walked in—”

“I asked for silence,” Snape turned his head towards the two and glared at them.

“Sorry, Professor,” Draco apologized. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Once they arrived in the Great Hall the Slytherins all realized that they weren’t the only ones called over. The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were there as well, all dressed in pajamas and looking as distorted as the Slytherins felt. They were told to wait for the Ravenclaws before any announcements could be made and Maya started to feel antsy, and Draco still wouldn’t leave her alone.

“You have every right to be mad at me,” Draco urged.

Maya gave a hysteric laugh. “Damn right I do!”

“But just let me explain!”

“Why?” she snapped at him. “So you explain to me why it’s _okay_ you were embarrassed to be seen with me? If you honestly think I can go back to being your friend after this—”

“I don’t deserve your friendship after this, I know. And I know I don’t deserve you listening to me explain myself because honestly, there’s no excuse that could make me not seem like a git, but I’m begging you to please just try listening to me.”

Maya finally gave in and looked at him and noticed how tired his eyes looked and his hair was still as unkept as it was before the feast, maybe even worse.

“Fine,” she sighed and let him lead her to an undisturbed corner.

Draco didn’t hesitate once they got there. “I want to start off by saying I’m not disgusted by you, honestly I’m not.”

“Okay.”

“Really, Frances I’m not!” Draco said and grabbed her hand desperately. “I-I’m trying to be better. I don’t know why but for some reason you make me want to try.”

At that Maya let her guard drop and she felt her heart flutter at the honesty in his comment. She squeezed his hand again to let him keep going.

“When we first left the castle, I saw people staring and I didn’t say anything, I let them keep staring,” he started to explain. “I had Zabini and Daphne threaten Pansy and Bullstrode that if they snitched to my father there would be hell to pay, so I really wasn’t that worried and I definitely wasn’t embarrassed to be seen with you.”

Maya laughed at the thought of Blaise and Daphne threatening Pansy and could only imagine how far Zabini would go with his threats until Daphne had to stop him.

“I don’t care what Pansy or other students think, but when we were in the Three Broomsticks, a few people walked in.”

“Who were they?” Maya asked curiously.

“They work with my father at the ministry, if they saw me sitting with you…”

And Maya understood. They would have told Draco’s father and Maya has heard enough stories from Draco to know that his dad would not give an easy punishment. In all honesty, Draco’s dad terrified her. She only met him once and he seemed like an awful but powerful wizard. She knew Draco was scared too and that’s why he made her leave, he wasn’t ashamed, just scared.

“I shouldn’t have phrased it the way I did,” Draco interrupted her thoughts, “but I was so desperate to not be seen that I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’m sorry.”

Maya smiled at him. “I get it, you were just scared.” Draco looked at her embarrassed at the fact that he was scared, and she quickly tried to switch her tone. “Obviously it’s intimidating being on a date with me. I’m so perfect, even I would be intimidated.”

That got Draco to snort and he finally relaxed.

“Thank you, Frances. I really don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he said honestly.

“No,” she agreed, “you don’t, but unfortunately you’re actually fun to be around so I forgive you.”

She hugged him quickly then suddenly felt awkward.

“Um…so…” she spoke trying to fix the sudden awkwardness.

“I don’t think there should be a second date—” They both said at the same time.

Maya stared at him shocked for a moment. Obviously, _she_ knew she didn’t want a second date, but why didn’t _he_ want one? But then the shock turned into a huge relief because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings if he didn’t think the same.

“I had a good time!” Draco started to defend himself. “But I think it would be too risky, with my father and all.”

Maya smiled. “I agree, but can I admit something?”

Draco nodded.

“Did you also feel a bit…awkward?” she asked nervously.

“Yes!” Draco laughed. “Thank Merlin you thought so too!”

Maya started to laugh as well. “It was fun, but it’s like every time I thought about it being a date it just got weird.”

“I think I got confused,” he admitted. “I’ve never had a close friend before, so I confused my…er feelings…and assumed I fancied you.”

“It’s okay, I did that too,” Maya smiled softly. “But I’m glad we figured it out and can just be friends.”

Draco squeezed her hand. “Me too.”

They were too caught up in their conversation, they hadn’t noticed the Ravenclaws finally arrived in the Great Hall looking just as confused as everyone else. Dumbledore cleared his throat and Maya and Draco turned to listen to him.

“The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle,” Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. “I’m afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately,” he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. “Send word with one of the ghosts.”

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, “Oh, yes, you’ll be needing…”

With one casual wave of his wand the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

“Sleep well,” said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

The whole hall started to buzz excitedly, everyone seemed to be excited except for Maya.

“Is he for real?” she blurted. “Do I actually have to sleep on the _floor_?”

Daphne appeared at her side and laughed.

“It’s not that bad, it might be fun!”

“ _Fun_?” Maya gawked. “I have a perfectly good, squishy, and comfortable bed in our dorm, and I have to sleep on the _floor_! I can handle life threatening events during every school year, but I draw the line when something disturbs my sleep!”

Both Daphne and Draco were laughing at her now.

“What do you think they’re searching for?” Daphne asked once her laughs calmed down.

Maya looked over at the Gryffindors and noticed how other houses were going to them as if they had an explanation.

“I’ll find out,” she said quickly and walked over to where the twins were, Lucy already there.

“Can either of you explain why I’m being subjected to sleeping on the floor?” she asked them.

Maya hadn’t exactly talked to George since the night she hexed him and while she did still joke around with Fred, it still felt awkward. George only ever spoke to her once saying he forgave her, but after that anytime she was around he turned around and started talking to someone else. This time he didn’t.

“It’s Sirius Black,” he answered her. “The fat lady ran off, said Sirius Black tried getting into the common room.”

Maya and Lucy gasped.

“How could he have gotten in? There’s dementors everywhere!” Lucy exclaimed.

Fred and George shared a knowing look and Maya knew they must have had a guess.

Fred pulled out the Marauders Map which he apparently always had with him.

“The map shows a few hidden ways to get into the castle, we think he might know a few,” Fred suggested.

“But even if he did, how did he just wander through the castle all the way to the Gryffindor common room without getting caught?” Maya pointed out.

No one had an answer and the four of them stood there thinking curiously. Maya looked back at the map and considered all the secret passageways she learned about over the past few years. Suddenly she was hit with a memory from first year when the twins first showed the girls the map.

_“Hey, whose name is that next to Ron…Peter?”_ she remembered seeing that name next to Ron and asking the twins about it. Then she thought back to Draco’s story from earlier that day

_“He was in hiding and the ministry couldn’t find him. It was the old friend of his I mentioned earlier…Peter…Peter…Pettigrew that’s it! Peter Pettigrew—”_

“Holy shit!” Maya gasped; all three faces turned to look at her with confusion.

“Frances? What’s wrong?” George stared at her with a startled expression.

But before she could respond, a different voice spoke.

“Everyone into their sleeping bags!” shouted Percy. “Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!”

Fred and George grabbed two sleeping bags then handed them to the girls who just stared in shock.

“Um…we should probably—” Lucy started.

“Just stay with us,” Fred told her. “Frances knows something, I want to know too.”

The girls looked around and noticed that other houses were also sleeping separate from their usual housemates. A few Hufflepuffs sat next to some Ravenclaws or Gryffindors. Maya looked back at the Slytherins and saw Draco discreetly watching her, but she decided to stay. She may have found out something important.

“Okay,” Maya said and took one of the sleeping bags, Lucy following her as well.

They settled down all close enough to keep talking without getting caught.

“So what provoked you to make such foul words come out of your mouth?” Fred teased.

“Peter Pettigrew,” Maya whispered.

“Who?” All three of them responded with shared confusion.

“Do you remember that name that we noticed is always near Ron?” Maya asked, hoping they remembered.

George nodded. “Yeah, but we still don’t know who he is. Neither of us want to ask Ron.”

“I don’t think Ron knows he’s being followed by this guy,” she told him.

Lucy’s eyes widened. “You think he’s being followed?”

“I don’t know…” Maya admitted. “It doesn’t really make much sense, but Draco told me something today—”

George huffed and turned around in his sleeping bag. “Don’t care,” he grumbled.

Maya cursed herself for bringing up Draco. George was finally forgiving her, and she ruined it by being careless.

“George listen, this is actually important,” she pleaded.

“I’m listening,” he muttered, but kept his back to her.

She continued anyways. “According to Draco, this Peter guy was killed years ago by Sirius Black.”

George finally turned back around and stared at her with shock.

“But he can’t be dead!” George exclaimed. “He’s on the map!”

“Could he be a ghost?” Lucy suggested.

Fred shook his head. “He can’t be a ghost. The only way you can stay at Hogwarts as a ghost is if you die there. And last I checked; Sirius Black never killed anyone at Hogwarts.”

“Well, they did say he was mental,” George pointed out. “Maybe he wasn’t thinking straight when he did it.”

“There’s a difference between insanity and being stupid,” Maya chuckled. “And you’d have to be stupid to commit straight up murder in Hogwarts.”

They all laughed for a moment before Lucy spoke up again.

“So if this Peter guy isn’t a ghost, then how could he be following Ron?”

The four of them were silent, none of them fully understood the situation.

“Do you think somehow we could get close to him?” Maya asked. “Even if we can’t see him, maybe just by being close I could get a vision? I’ve been getting better at controlling them.”

“No,” George said quickly. “Last time you tried that Lucy got petrified and you passed out.”

“But I won’t pass out this time! I’ve gotten better!”

“And the basilisk is gone so I can’t get petrified,” Lucy said.

“A murderer just broke into the castle!” Fred argued.

“What happened to you two,” Lucy teased. “You used to sneak out all the time and never care about the consequences.”

“Maybe you can sneak out with Finnigan instead,” Fred spat and turned around.

George and Maya watched in shock as Lucy’s face turned red with embarrassment and anger. Fred and Lucy never argued like that, it was usually George and Maya who would bicker instead.

Lucy flipped him off and turned around to sleep leaving George and Maya the only two not sleeping. Maya didn’t know if she should follow in her friend’s footsteps and go to sleep or if she should say something to George. This was the first time in several weeks George even paid attention to her and she didn’t want to ruin it.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered quickly.

George sighed. “I know you are. I already told you, I forgive you.”

“Then why have you been ignoring me? Lucy told me about my eyes,” she lowered her voice and moved closer, so no one overheard, “how they turned black. I don’t know how that happened and I really hope you’re not scared. I mean if you are, I totally understand, _I’m_ scared because it happened to me, but I—”

“Maya,” George stopped her, “you’re rambling. I’m not scared of you.”

“But then, why were you ignoring me? Every time I sat with you guys, you’d turn around and talk to someone else,” she looked at him curiously.

“I do have other friends, you know,” he joked, but Maya didn’t say anything. He sighed, “I was just mad at you for going out with Malfoy. Freddie was right, it was to be expected you two are really close and I should’ve known he fancied you.”

Maya stared at him with wide eyes. “You were mad because Draco fancied me? George…you weren’t jealous, were you?” She felt herself start to blush.

George’s face became just as red as hers. “No! Definitely not!” He defended himself quickly. “I just…well _I_ wanted to be the one to show you around Hogsmeade for the first time. We always talked about it and then you just randomly went with Malfoy instead.”

Maya felt her stomach churn with guilt, she had no idea this was why he was upset with her.

“Georgie, I’m really sorry,” she apologized, staring directly into his eyes. “If it makes you feel better, we didn’t go to Zonko’s so you can give me a grand tour next trip!”

A smile started to form on George’s lips. “Next trip? You mean you’re going with us next time?”

“Yeah definitely! Definitely not going with Draco again,” she told him.

His whole face was beaming now, and he finally smiled his normal smile that Maya hadn’t realized she missed so much.

“So, the date didn’t work out?” he asked, trying not to sound too excited.

“Nah, but we’re still friends.”

“Unfortunately,” he teased, earning a smack from her. “The next trip will be great though! We’ll go to Zonko’s, Honeydukes, oh and the Shrieking Shack! I know you were excited when Fred and I told you about the ghost stories, so we’ll definitely go there as well.”

Maya’s stomach fluttered with what she assumed to be excitement. She was touched that George knew she’d want to go to the Shrieking Shack and couldn’t wait till the next Hogsmeade trip.

“Go to sleep!” A voice from above them scolded. They looked up to see Percy Weasley giving them an evil eye.

“Relax, Perce, we’re not doing anything,” George rolled his eyes.

“You two are supposed to be asleep. Five points from both of your houses,” then he turned around and walked away.

“Prick,” George muttered.

“He’s just doing his job,” Maya laughed at him. “Good night, Georgie.”

“Night, Frances.”

-

A week had passed since then and while Maya and George seemed to be back to their normal selves, Lucy and Fred were not. They constantly argued with each other and Fred kept making comments about Seamus that made Lucy storm out of any room they were in.

Lucy and Maya were sitting in their seats in Defense Against the Dark arts, waiting for Professor Lupin to arrive, and Lucy was currently ranting about how Fred kept calling Seamus a midget. Maya checked the time from the clock on the wall and groaned when she saw Lupin was late and she had to hear more of Lucy’s rants. Suddenly a door swung open and all the students head turned to see who it was.

“Oh no!” Maya shouted. “What are you doing here?”

Professor Snape sneered at her and walked to the desk, black cloak flowing dramatically behind him.

“Believe me, Frances, spending extra time with you is as dreadful to you as it is to me,” he said to her then turned to the class. “Professor Lupin is feeling too ill to teach today and I’ve been sent to be his replacement.”

Maya’s head dropped to her desk. “This is it. I’ve died and I’ve gone to Hell.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Lucy asked, laughing at her dramatic friend.

“Nothing life-threatening,” Snape answered, though his tone of voice made it sound like he wished it was. “Now, your professor has not left any records of the topics you have covered so far—”

Daphne opened her mouth to fill him in on what they’ve been doing, but Snape put up a hand to silence her so he could continue.

“I’m not asking for information,” he explained, “just commenting on his lack of organization.”

“Organized or not, he’s still a better professor than you,” Maya muttered, a few students snickered.

“Miss Frances, make this more tolerable for the both of us and remain quiet,” he snapped at her and Draco laughed. “Now, today we shall discuss—” he waved his wand, so everyone’s textbooks opened, “werewolves.”

“Uh, Professor,” Blaise tried speaking up. “We’re not exactly there yet. That’s too far ahead.”

He glared at Blaise for speaking up. “Mr. Zabini, I am the one teaching this class, not you.”

And for the rest of the class, Snape explained the topic of werewolves and all of the students struggled to follow due to the number of chapters skipped.

-

The next day the twins had a quidditch match up against Hufflepuff. Despite Lucy and Fred’s constant arguing, they agreed to be civil to go on a “Peter Pettigrew Hunt” as they called it, after the quidditch match.

The weather was absolutely horrific. It was pouring rain and the wind was so strong, Maya wasn’t sure how anyone would be able to stay on their brooms. Maya and Lucy didn’t want to go to the match with the weather so bad and none of their teams playing, but the twins said they won’t help out with their hunt after if they don’t at least cheer them on, so that was the plan.

“If I get hypothermia, I’m going to kill the both of them,” Lucy complained as they walked out of the Great Hall to head to the pitch.

“If you get hypothermia, you might not get the chance to kill them,” Maya replied laughing. She had several layers on to stay warm and both girls had an umbrella. The girls charmed their robes with a heating charm, but even that might not be enough.

“If I die will you avenge me and kill them for me?” Lucy asked her.

Maya snorted. “Yes of course, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?”

They stepped outside and the cold felt like a smack in the face. The girls linked their arms to use each other’s warmth and then hurried to the Gryffindor stands. They chose a seat next to Dean and Seamus so Lucy could be with Seamus.

As the game started, Lucy chat with Seamus and Maya attempted to watch the game. It was hard to watch, the rain blurred her vision, and she could barely make out the teams if it weren’t for the bright uniforms. One of the twins had just hit a bludger when something caught Maya’s eye. At first, she thought it was a quaffle that somehow got knocked off the pitch, but when she squinted, she noticed it was a lot bigger than a quaffle…and had four legs…and a tail…it was the dog!

The black dog from Hogsmeade was currently hiding in the fields by the pitch and he was shivering.

Maya looked at Lucy to make sure she was still talking to Seamus so she could sneak off to the dog without her friend noticing. Very slowly she grabbed her umbrella and started to walk down from the stands. Once off the stands and out of people’s view she walked faster eager to see the dog.

She caught sight of him and stopped when she was about a foot away, not wanting to take him by surprise. She crouched down and spoke just loud enough for him to hear over the rain, but not too loud to make him run off.

“Hey, buddy!”

The dog’s head jerked from the quidditch match to where she was standing, and he ran up to her eagerly.

“Hey, buddy. Are you cold?” she asked him gently.

The dog gave a small bark in response and Maya opened her umbrella and held it over him to stop the rain from hitting the both of them. She then casted a drying charm and a heating charm to help him stay warm. The dog licked her hand, and she took it as a thank you.

“What are you doing all the way in Hogwarts, bud? There’s more food at Hogsmeade!”

The dog made a whining sound and barked back at the quidditch match.

“You like quidditch, huh?” She laughed at the dog. “You’re a smart dog if you know what quidditch is.”

The dog sniffed around her coat pockets to search for food making Maya frown.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have anything today,” she apologized to him. “If I knew you’d be here I would’ve brought you another pumpkin pasty, or toast from the Great Hall.” She thought for moment on how she could help him. “Hey, how about you come back later today, and I’ll bring you some food then? I can maybe sneak some chicken!”

The dog looked up and Maya followed his gaze. Above them were several dementors all heading to the quidditch pitch. The dog whimpered and hid behind Maya, his head nuzzling onto her back. He seemed afraid of the dementors and Maya couldn’t blame him. Even from this distance she could feel the same coldness she felt in the train.

“It’s okay,” she turned to the dog and scratched behind his ears. “They won’t hurt you. They’re here to protect us.” For a moment she felt the dog relax while she continued to scratch his ears, but then he jumped and starting barking at the pitch. Maya had forgotten the match had been going on and she expected the dog to be barking because someone had scored a point. Instead, when she turned around, she saw a figure of someone falling from the sky.

“Holy shit!” she shouted, “it’s Harry!” The dementors had all swarmed around him and caused him to lose his balance, Maya was going to be sick with fear. Before he hit the ground, someone must have cast a spell to make him slow down and Maya sighed a great sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry buddy,” she looked at the dog who started whimpering again. “I gotta go. That’s my friend and I have to make sure he’s okay. Meet me back here later tonight, I’ll sneak you some food.”

The dog gave her a slobbery lick then ran off opposite of the quidditch pitch.

-

Maya found Lucy not long after the match and watched as Harry was being floated back to the castle on a stretcher.

“Maya!” Lucy ran up and hugged her. “Where the hell did you go?”

Maya stiffened. “Um…saw a friend and went to say hi, sorry.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow at her. “A friend? What friend do you have that I don’t know about?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Maya said. “What the hell happened?”

This got Lucy’s attention and she dropped all suspicion she had a few moments ago.

“A bunch of dementors just came out of nowhere! Poor Harry, you know how he reacts badly to them. He blacked out again, thank god for Dumbledore or who knows what would’ve happened!” Lucy explained hurriedly. “When I saw him fall, I went to reach for you, but you were gone! I thought somehow the dementors got you or something!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to worry you,” Maya said awkwardly. She wanted to tell Lucy about her new doggy friend, but now obviously wasn’t the time. “Let’s head back to the castle, it’s freezing.”

The two now sat outside the hospital wing waiting for the twins to come out to tell them how Harry was feeling. The whole quidditch team along with Ron and Hermione went in to check on him, and the two other girls didn’t want to overwhelm him, so they stayed outside waiting. Lucy told her that Cedric caught the snitch and won the match for Hufflepuff and Maya made a mental note to congratulate him, but she also felt bad for Harry. Apparently even his broom was destroyed.

The team, along with the twins, slowly came out of the hospital wing and the girls jumped onto to their feet eager to see how their friend was doing.

“He’s fine,” George told them before they asked.

“Just upset that he lost the game,” Fred said.

Both girls laughed.

“Was he as depressed as Wood?” Lucy asked.

Fred shook his head. “I don’t think anyone is as depressed as Wood. Someone should check on the showers, make sure he’s still breathing.”

The others laughed and continued to walk aimlessly down the corridors. Maya wasn’t sure where they were going until she noticed they arrived in front of the Gryffindor common room.

“We’ll be right back,” George said. “We’ll get changed out of the muddy robes and grab the map then we can start the hunt.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Maya asked surprised. “We don’t have to do it today after everything that happened.”

“Nah, of course we’ll still do it today,” Fred said and ruffled her hair. “Besides, if we don’t do it now, you won’t shut up till we do.”

Maya scowled at him which only made him laugh as he walked into the common room. Maya and Lucy waited outside the common room and sat on the floor.

Maya had always wondered what the Gryffindor common room looked like. George described it to her once and it sounded nice. He told her about the big cushiony couches, the fireplace, and how almost everything in the room is either red or gold. To Maya it sounded very comfortable. She liked the Slytherin common room and often fell asleep on the couches when reading, but she always needed an extra blanket when down there because it was so cold. The Gryffindor common room seemed warm and she can imagine it always buzzing with activity. She’d never say it, but she hopes one day she can see it.

The twins only took about ten minutes to get changed and when they came out, Fred already had the map open and ready.

“We checked in our room to see if he’d be in the Gryffindor common room, but it says he’s in this room here,” Fred said and pointed to a spot on the map.

Maya stood next to him and looked where Fred was pointing. It was downstairs closer to the Great Hall.

“Alright, let’s go then shall we,” Maya said and together they walked through the halls together.

“So do we have a plan in case we actually see the guy?” Lucy asked halfway through the journey. All eyes turned to Maya.

“Um…” Maya hadn’t actually thought about what would happen if they saw a stranger in the castle. “Say hello?”

George snorted. “Right, we’re going to walk up to some bloke that’s supposed to be dead and say ‘Cheers, mate! Glad you’re not dead! So what have you been doing hanging about with my brother?’”

“Yeah, sounds good enough to me,” Maya chuckled.

They tried coming up with an actual plan as they got closer to the corridor Pettigrew was in, but none of them knew what they would say if they saw him. Maya just hoped she only needed to be close to get a vision so she wouldn’t have to talk to him.

“That’s strange,” Fred said, stopping in the middle of a corridor. “It says he’s here, but I can’t see him.”

George walked over to him and took the map to look as well. He walked over to the wall and stared at it. “It says on the map that he’s _inside_ the walls. Do you think there’s a secret passage here we haven’t found yet?”

Maya looked at the wall and gasped. This was where her and Draco’s room was, the painting of the queen was right next to where George was standing.

“Alright, Frances?” Fred gave her a quizzical look.

Draco wanted to keep their room a secret. It was their own personal room to go to when they were upset or needed each other’s comfort. And Maya just unintentionally brought the Weasley’s to it. She hated herself for not recognizing the corridor on the map. But then a thought occurred to her.

How does this Peter guy know about their room? From what she could tell, when they first found the room it hadn’t been touched in years.

“Everything’s fine,” she finally said. “I know where he might be, but um…you guys stay out here okay?”

“What? No!” George protested. “I’m not going to let you walk up to some stranger on your own, what if he’s gone mental?”

“He’s been with Ron for years and Ron’s fine. I doubt he’s dangerous,” Maya told him. “But if something goes wrong, I’ll call for you guys.”

“Why can’t one of us just go with you?” Lucy said, looking worried. “Haven’t we learned by now it’s not safe to wander off?”

Maya shuffled her feet awkwardly and avoided eye contact. “Look, this is the room I usually hang out with Draco in. Draco wanted to keep this place a secret and he trusts me, if he found out the trust would be broken. Also, if he found out I let a Weasley in he might take his anger out on one of you guys, so please…just let me do this on my own.”

“You get five minutes,” George said. “Five minutes, and if you’re not back by then one of us is going in.”

Maya nodded. “Okay, thank you.” She quickly stepped up to the painting of the queen who gave her an odd look. She curtsied for her and the painting swung open. “I’ll be back shortly.”

She stepped inside and looked around. Everything seemed to look the same as she and Draco left it. Potion ingredients discarded on one of the tables from Draco, an empty ink bottle on the couch, books open on the floor, and one of the records sat still on the record player. No one was inside. She walked around a bit more to see if anyone could be hidden, but it was empty.

She walked to the middle of the room and closed her eyes to try and get some sort of vision of anything, but nothing happened. She felt nothing in the room. She opened her eyes again and sighed. Suddenly she heard a small squeaking and scratching noise making her jump.

“Hello?” She called out. She walked over to where the squeaking was coming from. She wasn’t watching the ground as she almost stepped on a small figure.

“Scabbers?” She gasped. “What are you doing here?” She picked him up gently and chuckled. “Christ, you scared the crap out of me!”

Before she turned around to leave, she glimpsed at the wall beside her and saw the familiar carvings into the wall.

“Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,” she read it out loud. “Any idea who those guys are?” she jokingly asked the rat. Apparently, Ron’s rat didn’t like jokes, he bit her finger making her yelp out in pain. “Ow! What does Ron see in you? You’re an ass!”

She checked her finger to make sure it wasn’t bleeding, but as she lifted her hand, it slightly brushed against the carvings on the wall and she felt the familiar sensation of a vision take over. Her eyes fell shut instinctively as she got pulled into the vision. She forced her mind to look around at what the vision was showing her, and it looked like she was still in The Room of Choices, except it was slightly different.

It felt fresher in a strange way, music was playing from the record player, there was the sound of laughter, and a faint scent of smoke.

“Moony,” a voice echoed, and Maya whipped her head around from the direction it came from. “You’re stinking up the room, mate. Could you smoke somewhere else?”

Maya gasped. The man speaking looked like a spitting image of Harry, everything was exactly the same from the messy black hair, skinny figure, and the round glasses, the eyes were different though. Maya knew instantly this must have been Harry’s dad.

“Besides, it’s a nasty habit according to Evans. You should quit,” he spoke again.

The other boy across from him, which Maya assumed had to be Moony based off the cigarette in his hand, rolled his eyes then burnt out the cigarette.

“Don’t listen to him Moony,” another boy with black shoulder length hair next to him said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, “Prongs is just jealous of how cool we look when we smoke.”

Prongs, Harry’s dad, gave the black-haired boy a rude gesture with his hands. “Piss off, Pads,” he mumbled, though Maya see could the hint of a smile on the boy’s face. Suddenly the portrait door swung open and a chubby blonde-haired boy came in with arms full of food.

“Sorry I’m late, lads!” He mumbled behind the piles of food. He hurriedly ran to where his friends sat and plopped next to Prongs.

“It’s alright, Pete,” he smiled at his smaller friend. “Did you get everything?” The chubby boy nodded eagerly.

“This is a stupid idea,” Moony pointed out, and by the tone of his voice, Maya assumed this wasn’t the first time he’d said it.

The black-haired boy, Padfoot, laughed. “Come on, Moony. Don’t you want to see Wormtail and Prongs inhale a crazy amount of Bertie Botts?”

Moony cracked a small smile. “Of course, I want to see them look stupid, but I don’t want to clean up their vomit when they inevitably puke.”

Maya smiled at the goofiness of the four boys. It seemed like the four of them were very close, and obviously seemed to enjoy being reckless. She watched as they continued to banter with each other, it all seemed so natural to them. The vision started to blur as the race to see who can eat the most jellybeans began and Maya felt almost sad that she couldn’t continue watching them, but she let go of the tug and felt herself come back from the vision.

Maya looked at the spot on the floor where the group of boys were sitting in her vision and she smiled at it. She was glad she found the room and could keep it alive for them.

She almost forgot her promise to George not to be too long and she ran outside the door, Scabbers still in her hand.

“Maya?” Lucy jumped from where she was sitting once Maya came out of the portrait. “Is that Scabbers?”

“Yeah, found the little rodent wandering around the room. Don’t know how he got there,” she handed the rat to Fred so he can return it to Ron. “The little shit bit me as well, tell Ron to get a nicer rat.”

Fred laughed at her. “He’s a perfectly fine rat when he’s not terrified of getting eaten by Granger’s devil cat.”

“So did you find Pettigrew?” Lucy asked eagerly.

Maya shook her head. “Nah, no one was there, but I did get a vision!”

George looked at her with caution. “Are you feeling alright? You’re not going to pass out again, are you?”

“No, I told you I’ve gotten better at taking control,” Maya reminded him. “It was a nice vision though, different. I saw the people from the map.”

“What people?” Lucy asked.

“The Marauders, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,” she answered. “Turns out, Prongs is Harry’s dad. I actually saw Harry’s dad, it was weird. Harry looks exactly like him.”

“Harry’s dad made this map?” Fred gawked and stared at the map with a new sense of fascination.

“Apparently but get this! Peter Pettigrew was Wormtail!”

Lucy’s face looked like she was thinking considerably hard.

“Maybe the map can show spirits,” she suggested. “It’s different than a ghost, doesn’t have a proper form. Maybe Pettigrew’s spirit was visiting the old room him, and his friends hung out in.”

This was the best explanation the four could come up with, so for now that’s what they believed.

-

“Maya where the hell are you taking me?” Lucy groaned as Maya dragged her by the arm in the dark later that day.

They had just eaten dinner and Maya had to sneak some extra food in her pockets for the dog. At first, she intended on going alone, she feared that bringing an extra person might scare the dog away, but she also didn’t want to keep the dog a secret. At least not from Lucy. Lucy loved dogs as much as Maya and knew she would help her feed him.

The air outside was just as cold and windy as it was earlier that day, but the rain had thankfully subsided to a light drizzle. As her and Lucy walked through the grass, ankles becoming slightly damp due to the rain, she heard the familiar sound of a dog sniffing. Maya walked faster, dragging Lucy along with her.

Maya caught sight of him, and she stepped in front of Lucy before she could see him.

“Okay, I’m going to need you to not freak out, alright?” she told her friend, voice serious.

“Why would I freak out? What the hell is going on?” Lucy looked at her, fear and confusion in her eyes.

“He might get nervous if you get too loud, and I want to give him food before he runs off,” Maya said. “I don’t want him to starve.”

“Him?” Lucy asked. Maya stepped away, no longer blocking Lucy’s vision. Once Lucy caught sight of the dog she gasped. The dog still hadn’t noticed the two, they were still a good distance away. “Holy shit, Maya is that the Grim? You know the thing in Harry’s tea?”

“No, he’s just a stray. I found him in Hogsmeade the other day and then earlier today during the match,” Maya looked at her quizzically, to make sure Lucy wasn’t about to freak out. To her surprise, Lucy looked at the dog with a sad expression. “I promised him I’d come back tonight with something to eat. I thought you might want to help.”

Lucy nodded at her friend and the two started walking a bit closer. Once they were a foot away, the dog noticed Maya, he was about to run up excitedly like he did before, but then he caught sight of Lucy. The dog hesitated and let out a low growl.

Maya bent down to get to his level. “It’s okay, she’s just a friend,” Maya told him comfortingly. “We have food, and I can warm you up again if you’d like.” Lucy bent down as well and smiled at the dog to let him know she’s not a threat.

Very slowly the dog made his way towards the girls. Lucy held out her hand for him to sniff. He sniffed for a few seconds then gave her hand a slobbery lick.

“Eugh!” Lucy whined. “You don’t have rabies, do you? If my mom gets a call from Dumbledore saying her daughter has been infected with rabies, I’ll _never_ be allowed to come back.”

Maya laughed at her friends disgusted face. “He doesn’t have rabies, Luce, he licked you because he likes you.”

Lucy wiped her hand on her robes then started to pat the dog’s head. “I like you too, but don’t give me any diseases.” The dog barked back happily.

Maya reached into her pockets and took out the small bag that held the food. She managed to steal a few sausages, a chicken leg, and of course a pumpkin pasty. The dog leaped forward excitedly to eat as Lucy took a goblet out of her pocket that Maya made her bring and casted a quick “ _Augamenti”_ so he could drink some water as well. As he was distracted, Maya casted a quick drying and heating charm on him and watched the dog subconsciously shudder with relief.

“So how exactly did you meet this guy?” Lucy asked, sitting down on a patch of grass she just charmed to be dry. “You said at Hogsmeade?”

Maya nodded and sat next to her. “Yeah, I found him behind one of the stores and then we became best friends.”

“So…I’ve been replaced by a dog?”

“Yup,” she smiled at her friend who laughed.

“I’m not offended. I’d replace you with a dog too,” she said and stuck her tongue out at her friend.

It was peaceful outside, Maya thought. She’s glad she took Lucy with her, and she thinks the dog is too. They sat in silence and watched the dog eat his food happily. Maya sighed contentedly and leaned back to look at the sky. The stars were out and were spread all across the sky like out of a painting. She took mental notes of the constellations she learned about from Astronomy and felt herself get tired.

“What were you doing behind a store?” Lucy asked suddenly.

“Oh…” Maya forgot she hadn’t told Lucy about the failed date yet. “Right, well you probably suspected that things with Malfoy hadn’t gone well.”

Lucy nodded and squeezed her friend’s hand. “Yeah, I overheard your conversation with George that night in the Great Hall, you said it didn’t work out. What happened?”

Maya sighed. “It was fun and all, but we realized we would be best as friends. We both confused our feelings for something else. He also said something that upset me, so I ran out and that’s when I met this dude,” Maya said and pat the dogs head. “Draco apologized though; it was a misunderstanding.”

“Well, if you need me to beat him up I will,” Lucy promised, “and so will the dog.” The dog barked in agreement making both girls snort.

The dog finished eating and laid down next to the girls in the dry patch of grass. They all sat together petting the dog happily.

“So, does he have a name?” Lucy asked.

“He doesn’t have a collar, so I guess not,” she answered.

“And you haven’t named him anything yet?” Lucy gawked at her.

Maya laughed at her friend’s surprise. “This is only the third time I’ve seen him! I can’t just adopt him and bring him inside with me!”

Lucy gasped at her dramatically. “Doesn’t mean you can’t give him a proper name!”

“Fine, what should we name him?”

Both girls stared at the dog who was licking his paws tediously. They watched as he rolled onto his back and stuck his tongue out to the side, knocking them out of their concentration and laughing at him.

“We could give him a super cool name,” Lucy suggested. “Like Hades or something.”

The girls saw him squirm around in the grass as if scratching an itch on his back. Both girls went into hysterics at the thought of naming a dog as dopey as him Hades.

“Definitely not,” Maya said in between snorts.

They observed him a bit more and then Maya watched him get into a pouncing position. She looked in the direction his eyes were focused on and saw the uneaten pumpkin pasty. It happened so quickly, she almost missed it. The dog pounced right onto the pasty and shook it in his mouth, causing crumbs to fly everywhere.

“I got it!” Maya announced. “He shall be named…Pumpkin!”

Lucy rolled to her side laughing so hard and Maya smiled proudly. Pumpkin, however, didn’t like his new name. He dropped the dessert onto the ground and Maya could swear his barks sounded like he was begging her to change it.

“Not changing it now, that’s your new name,” then to emphasize her point she grabbed a stick and a rock then transfigured it into a collar with a small orange name tag that read “Pumpkin” in a bold black font. She reached over to him to put it on, but he grabbed it from her hand with his mouth and threw it away.

“Hate to break it to you dude, but when Maya makes a decision it’s final. You’re stuck with that name,” Lucy told him and ran to grab the collar. She came back and put it on him quickly before he could protest again. Pumpkin plopped down on the ground and admitted defeat.

“We should probably go back up soon, it’s almost curfew and I don’t want another detention,” Lucy said.

Maya agreed, though she felt bad leaving the dog now. It was still cold outside and even though he was now fed, she didn’t want him to accidentally stroll into the Forbidden Forest. Maya pat the dogs head and made a promise to him.

“Pumpkin, we gotta go back now before someone like Filch finds us out after curfew. Come back not tomorrow, but the next day, same time and I’ll bring you food. We can’t do every night, it might be suspicious, so we have to be careful. Okay?”

The dog licked her face then Lucy’s in understanding and they smiled at him. Slowly he ran back to wherever he came from and the girls watched until he was out of sight, then they made their way back to the castle in time before curfew.

-

A month had passed since then and Christmas was in the air. Professor Flitwick had decorated the halls and classrooms with fake snow, Christmas trees, and lights. Everyone’s energy was much happier than last Christmas when there was the threat of being petrified.

They announced the next Hogsmeade weekend to be the last weekend before the end of term and Maya was much more excited this time than she was the last time. Draco wasn’t upset with her for going with the Weasleys and informed her that he and Blaise would also be doing Christmas shopping during the trip.

Throughout the month, Maya held onto her promise to Pumpkin the dog. He had gotten used to his new name by now and no longer whined and barked whenever Lucy or Maya greeted him by his name. The two girls would feed him and give him extra food for the nights they couldn’t visit him. The twins got suspicious of where the girls were sneaking off to and they supposed they’d have to tell them soon.

As the days got closer to the Hogsmeade trip, Fred and Lucy’s fighting increased. Lucy no longer sat at the Gryffindor table for Fred, but for Seamus. Maya would sit with the twins and listen to Fred mumble insults and glare at Seamus. Both her and George observed with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

It got bad one day in particular. It was nighttime and Maya, and Lucy were planning on sneaking out again for Pumpkin. They went to the kitchens first to grab food for him and as they were sneaking back out, they bumped into the twins with the map open.

Maya gave a sheepish smile. “Uh, hey guys…” She knew they must have looked suspicious with their pockets full of food and an empty bowl that they intended to fill with water.

“What are you two doing?” George asked, a curious smile at the two girls’ awkward stances.

“We were hungry?” Lucy tried to say, but it came out more as a question.

Fred gave her a disgusted look. “I suppose you’re going to sneak off with Finnigan again aren’t you? That’s what you’ve been doing every night.”

Lucy’s face grew red with anger. “Whether or not I _am_ seeing Seamus is none of your business!”

George and Maya backed away from Lucy in fear. She was rather scary when she got angry and neither Maya nor George wanted to get too close in case she took out her wand.

“It is my business when you go around and make it so obvious!” Fred spat.

“Obvious?” Lucy shrieked. “If you mean by sitting next to him at meals then I’m so sorry that I’d rather sit next to someone who doesn’t complain all the time! Honestly, you’re such an asshole! And by the way, I wasn’t about to go sneak off with him and I haven’t ever done that!”

Fred scoffed. “Then where have you been sneaking off to?”

Lucy was about to shout something then stopped herself. She looked at Maya who was too stunned by the shouting to notice. Lucy gave her a slight nudge and Maya realized she was asking for permission to tell them about the dog. She nodded; Pumpkin trusted the two girls by now, so he won’t be too scared of the other boys.

“We’ll show you,” Lucy said and started walking ahead of them. Maya hurriedly walked up to her so she could help lead the way. The twins followed behind silently and Maya grew nervous. Pumpkin would hopefully be fine with the twins, but if Lucy and Fred continued to argue the way they did then he might get scared…or angry.

They got close to the spot where they meet him, and Maya stopped the group from going further. She looked at Lucy sternly.

“Let me go first,” she explained. “I want to warn him that more people are coming before we catch him off guard and he runs off. Okay?”

Lucy nodded. She understood that Pumpkin had trusted Maya the most. She was always the first to greet him, give him his food, and cast warming charms on him, so Lucy knew to let Maya go ahead, but George stared at them with disbelief.

“Who are you two talking about? Please tell me you’re not giving food to Sirius Black. Frances, I know you take sympathy for people like Malfoy, but Black is a _murderer_!”

Maya laughed and shook her head. “Trust me, he’s not—” A growl cut her off. She spun around quickly and saw Pumpkin in a pouncing position glaring daggers at George.

“Bloody Hell!” Fred yelped. “It’s the Grim!”

Maya quickly stepped to the dog to try and calm him down, but George ran after her.

“Frances! Stop! He’ll bite you!”

She ignored him and kneeled down to the dog who started baring his teeth the closer George got.

“Hey,” she spoke softly, “it’s okay. They’re just friends of ours. They wanted to know where we kept sneaking off to. They won’t hurt you; I promise.” She placed her hands on his head and he stopped growling and looked at her.

“George, come slowly,” Maya spoke to him without turning around. “Stick out your hand to let him sniff, so he knows you’re not a threat.” She heard George walk slowly towards them and kneel down to reach his hand to the dog. Pumpkin slowly sniffed his hand and his eyes watched him carefully. Lucy led Fred towards them as well and Pumpkin sniffed Fred’s hand as well. Very slowly the dog started to trust the two.

“We have food for you, Pumpkin. Do you want some?” Maya asked him carefully. Pumpkin went back to his energetic self at the mention of food and leaped towards her. Maya chuckled as she took the food out of her pockets, Lucy filling the bowl up with water as well. Pumpkin sat right next to Maya as he ate and once he finished he still didn’t move away.

“So, this is what you two have been doing?” George eventually asked. “Feeding a stray dog?”

“He was hungry,” Maya muttered and scratched behind the dog’s ears.

George laughed. “I’m not judging you, don’t worry! I just…how did you find him?”

“In Hogsmeade,” Maya replied shortly.

George raised an eyebrow at her, but she remained quiet.

“So maybe you can apologize now for accusing me of sneaking off with a guy?” Lucy glared at Fred. Fred stuck his nose in the air and prominently ignored her. “Oh, come on! You were wrong _and_ being immature!”

Maya gripped tighter on Pumpkin, worried that the raised voices might scare him off.

“Fine, whatever, be a dick,” Lucy grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest.

Maya and George played with Pumpkin while Lucy and Fred continued to be angry with each other. George threw sausages and Pumpkin would jump up to catch them, it was pretty impressive. Pumpkin was having fun and seemed to really like the twins. Everything was going fine until Fred pulled something out of his pocket and Pumpkin barked at him and snatched it out of his hands aggressively.

“Hey!” Fred shouted; Maya noticed the map in the dog’s mouth. “Don’t rip it, have some sausages instead!” Fred lifted some sausages and tossed them to the dog, but he kept the map in his mouth. “Frances, do something! He’s going to destroy it!”

Pumpkin lied down, gingerly plopped the map down and rested his head on it. He began to whimper as if the map had caused him some sort of pain.

Maya stepped to him slowly. “What’s wrong, bud?” The dog only whimpered more. “It’s just a piece of parchment, we can get you a better toy!”

Behind her, Fred and George started to transfigure a rock into a ball for Pumpkin to play with instead of the map.

“Here, Pumpkin!” George called and tossed the ball to Maya who showed it to the dog, but all he did was huff in protest.

“Why does he want it so badly?” Fred asked.

Maya shrugged. “I don’t know, he’s never been possessive over anything before. Maybe it smells familiar?”

“It smells like my robes…and our dorm which can’t smell good,” Fred replied.

“What’d you take it out for?” Lucy asked him. “Did you see someone coming?”

Fred looked at George and they shared a look, trying to figure out who was going to explain. In the end it was Fred.

“Well, Georgie and I have been thinking. The four of us have most of the secret passages memorized by now,” he started to explain. “We don’t really need the map so much anymore, but we think Harry might like it.” The dog’s ears twitched, and he raised his head slowly, paws still on the map.

“You know how Harry can’t get into Hogsmeade without a permission slip,” Fred continued. “We figured he might be able to use this to sneak out.”

“And…” George spoke up, “if you were right and Prongs really _is_ his dad…he might enjoy possessing something of his dad’s.”

Pumpkin gave one last whine and stood up. He picked up the map once again and placed it back onto Fred’s lap then gave him a big lick of approval. Maya smiled at him.

“I think Pumpkin likes that idea,” she laughed.

Fred pat the dog on the head and fed him another sausage. “We want to give it to him before the Hogsmeade trip, we were thinking the morning of. But we’d have to do it quickly.” He gave a hard glance at Lucy. “I have a date that I don’t want to be late for.”

“What?!” Lucy sputtered.

Fred gave a sly smirk. “You heard me.”

Lucy glared at him and even Pumpkin backed away from her. “Since when have you had a _date_? All I’ve seen you do recently is mope on your own! Who would want to go on a date with someone as pathetic as you?”

Maya looked at George with a “did you know about this?” look and all he did was shrug at her, clearly, he was just as confused.

“I’ll have you know I have several girls who are willing to go on a date with me!” Fred spat.

Maya saw a mix of several emotions on Lucy’s face, the most prominent ones being hurt and anger. At that moment she wanted to smack Fred for making her friend feel this way, but this was their problem. If she did or said anything, she might make it worse.

“Fine!” Lucy shouted at him. “Go on a date, I don’t care. Go on several dates with all the girls that are willing to date you. I wish them luck, they’ll need it.” Then she stormed off back to the castle.

“What’s got her knickers in a twist?” Fred tried saying to make the air lighter, but Maya was trying very hard to focus on her breathing. The same type of anger she felt when she was around Trelawney, or the time she hexed George, started rising up her throat threatening to come out again.

“Dude…” George shook his head at his brother, oblivious to Maya’s struggling.

She clenched and unclenched her fist trying to relax. She jumped when something warm brushed against her and she looked down to see Pumpkin nuzzling his head into her legs to try and calm her down as if he could sense the anger rising in her. As soon as she saw him though, the anger went back down, and she pet his head gratefully. She didn’t realize Fred had left as well until George spoke up.

“You, alright?” He asked her, shooting a concerned look at the dog who stuck close to her side.

“Yeah, fine,” she smiled at him in return. “You can tell that they like each other, right?”

George laughed and laid back on the grass. “It’s even worse in our dorms. He won’t admit it though, Lee and I tried to get him to admit he’s jealous.”

Maya laid next to him, Pumpkin following as well. The grass was soft, and she took a deep breath, finally feeling more relaxed. “They’ll come around eventually, I think Lucy knows she likes him but is just upset she found out _after_ Seamus asked her out.”

“I’m sorry about Fred making her upset, I hope she’s okay,” George apologized.

Maya turned her head at him and was surprised to see he was already looking at her.

“Don’t apologize for Fred, it’s his fault, not yours. You’re George, not Fred,” she said, not realizing how much a comment like that meant to George who felt as though he was the overlooked twin.

He stared at her with his brown eyes wide and Maya felt a strange flutter in her stomach.

“Thank you, Maya,” he said quietly. She grinned at him, unable to tear her eyes from the older boys’.

“So, I guess it’ll be just us in Hogsmeade then, huh?”

“Guess so,” George said, “is that okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

“Cool.”

They continued to stare at each other, the glow of the moonlight reflecting off of George’s hair created a spell on Maya and she couldn’t look away. And she didn’t want to look away, the flutter in her stomach got more and more intense the longer they stared, and she liked it, despite not knowing what it meant. George looked like he was about to say something but was cut off by a big black dog jumping in between them and licking his face.

“Gross!” George groaned and Maya started cackling. “It’s not funny!” The dog licked him again and Maya laughed even harder, hugging her stomach as it ached from laughter. “Tell your dog to stop!”

“Hmm, no I don’t think I will,” Maya stuck her tongue out at him and pet Pumpkin. “Good boy! Do it again!” The dog licked George again who groaned but laughed despite his disgust.

Pumpkin liked to hear their laughter, it helped him remember, and it comforted him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit late, but it's also a lot longer than anticipated so I hope that makes up for it! I thought after this chapter I'd be close to finishing up year 3...I was very wrong...but at least that means more Padfoot!  
> Follow my Tumblr @ miaafrances to see whenever I update or just to say hi!  
> :)


	12. Chapter 12: Year 3- Part4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you need me to sneak you in so you can give him the gift?” Harry suggested.  
> Maya shook her head. She might get too scared to give it to him if she actually saw him. “Can you give it to him for me?”  
> “Sure, but if he thinks it’s from me then you have to explain to Ron that I don’t fancy his brother,” Harry joked, but Maya frowned at him.  
> “I don’t fancy George!” she shouted, purposefully making fun of Harry’s accent when saying fancy. “He’s just a really good friend!”  
> -  
> George is apparently good at gifting giving, Professor Lupin doesn't like Maya's new dog, and Lucy gets mad

Chapter 12

The morning of the Hogsmeade trip was a mix of chaos and excitement. Lucy needed help getting ready for her date and needed opinions on her outfit, so she snuck Maya into the Ravenclaw common room the help her out.

She’s seen the common room from outside the door but seeing it from the inside was a whole new experience. It was open and comforting and had bookshelves all around the room that were all filled to the top. There were tables to do Homework on (though some people, Maya noticed used it for chess instead), couches like the Slytherin common room but blue, a fireplace, and the best part was the ceiling. It was similar to the Great Hall that was charmed to look like the sky, but in the common room it was just stars. There was a girl with long dirty blonde hair laying on the middle of the floor staring at the ceiling as if she was stargazing. Maya was tempted to join her, and she probably would have if Lucy wasn’t pulling her arm so strongly.

She led them to her shared common room with three other girls who Maya was familiar with from often sitting at their table in the Great Hall. The one she spoke to the most was Parvati Patil, but even with her there she felt a bit awkward.

Lucy finally stopped pulling on Maya’s arm when they got to her bed and she pulled back her curtains. There were shirts, pants, scarves, shoes, and even a pair of socks that may have been Maya’s thrown all over the bed.

“As you can see,” Lucy gestured to her mess, “I need help.”

Maya snorted. “How long have you been trying to find an outfit?”

“Too long,” one of the other girls teased, sticking a tongue out at Lucy, who threw a pillow at them in return.

Lucy groaned and flopped onto her messy bed with her head in her hands. “I don’t know what to do! I’m gonna be late!”

Maya dragged her friend off the bed so she could stare at all the options sprawled out in front of her.

“Relax,” she told her. “What do you two have planned for today? If you’re doing a lot of walking that can narrow down some of the options.”

Lucy looked at her like she had just said the smartest thing in the world. “What would I do without you?”

“Wear a tracksuit on a date by accident,” Maya teased.

The two of them got to work after that. Lucy told her their plans to go to the Three Broomsticks then to wander around aimlessly and it helped narrow down the choices like Maya said it would. It took about thirty minutes, but by then Lucy had on a nice checkered blue sweater with a white skirt and comfy boots to go with it. One of the girls from Lucy’s dorm suggested to charm her hair with a curling charm and it came out naturally wavy

They walked out of the common room satisfied and Lucy jumbled with nerves. They arrived at the Entrance Hall where Seamus was patiently waiting, and Maya saw any anxiety that was previously in Lucy disappear and become excitement once she caught Seamus’s eye.

Maya spent the past few weeks watching Fred and Lucy argue with each other and she debated whether or not Lucy had feelings for him or not. After Fred announced he had a date she saw a hint of hurt and maybe even jealousy in her friend’s face, but Lucy might not even realize she’s jealous yet. So maybe she liked Seamus because he was easy, and she didn’t want to think about what feelings she might have for Fred. Whatever the truth is, Maya didn’t dare ask her friend any questions. If she accused Lucy of having feelings for Fred, she feared Lucy might get just as mad at her.

Lucy squeezed Maya’s hand one last time. “You wanna walk down with us?”

Maya shook her head. “Nah, I told George and Fred I’d wait for them down here while they give Harry the map.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later then,” she smiled nervously and started to walk away.

Maya dramatically wiped a nonexistent tear and shouted from behind her friend.

“They grow up so fast! Just yesterday she was in diapers!”

Seamus laughed and Lucy flipped her friend off without even turning to look at her.

As the two walked down to the village together, Maya stood by the entrance hall waiting for George. She was excited for today; they had a bunch of plans to adventure around the town since Maya didn’t really get a chance last time. Of course, George said they had to go to Zonko’s first, but she didn’t mind.

There was one other girl waiting by Maya in the entrance hall and Maya didn’t recognize her. She had long blonde hair that was currently tied into a high ponytail to show her face more and Maya thought that if she had bone structure like that, she’d probably put her hair up like that too. She had defined cheek bones and a cute pointed chin, but her brown eyes had a sharp look in them that kind intimidated Maya, so she stood as far as possible as she silently waited for the twins.

The sound of pounding feet and distant chuckling startled both girls. Maya turned around to find the twins with their hands on their knees, trying to catch their breath. Maya laughed at them and was about to tease them when the other girl spoke up first.

“There you are! What took you so long?!”

George jumped while Fred stood up quickly and straightened himself out.

“Sorry, love,” Fred winked at her, “had to take care of something first.”

The girl tutted at him and grabbed his arm to walk out together. Both George and Maya were a bit frightened by her now, and judging off of Fred’s face, he seemed a bit scared as well.

Once they were out of ear shot Maya found the courage to speak up.

“Is that his date?!” she sputtered.

“She looked like she hated him! Did you see her glare! And I thought mum had a terrifying glare!” George exclaimed.

Maya laughed at him then looked back at the direction Fred left in. Why would Fred choose her? She was terrifying! Beautiful, but terrifying. Maybe that was Fred’s type? Was that George’s type too? That thought caused a weird feeling in her stomach to appear and she shook it away before it got worse.

“Ready?” She turned to him.

George smiled at her. He grabbed her arm and started walking in long strides dragging her along. Maya laughed as she tried to keep up. It had snowed the night previous so the ground was white with snow and was a bit slippery as Maya was being dragged by the taller boy.

George was eagerly talking about all of his favorite things about Hogsmeade and Maya couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s excitement. It reminded her of an excited dog right before they go for a walk, bouncy and smiley.

Ever since the night where she introduced the twins to Pumpkin, something shifted between her and George. She couldn’t quite place what the feeling was, but she knew something felt different. She sat closer to him at the Gryffindor table, knees almost touching, and they hung out more because both Fred and Lucy were too grumpy to be around.

Whenever she was with him, she was almost always smiling, but that was normal because George was just a funny guy and had that effect on everyone. And she smiled around Fred too, so it’s not weird. Except she didn’t get a strange fluttery feeling in her stomach when Fred smiled back at her. But she always knew she was closer with George, Fred was a good friend, but George was her _best_ friend. That was definitely it, she just felt this way because George had slowly gotten the title of one of her best friends.

George stopped walking and finally released Maya’s arm (which felt strangely cold for some reason) once they arrived right in front of Zonko’s.

George flourished his arms in a dramatic gesture in front of the doors. “I present to you—” he wiggled his hands to create jazz hands, “the best store in all of the Wizarding World!”

Maya rolled her eyes at him, trying to hide a smile. “You’re a dork.”

George grinned at her and opened the door for the two of them to go in. As soon as she walked in, she was engulfed in several different sounds. Students laughing in amusement at the products, the sound of dungbombs going off, and the familiar sound of a potion exploding coming from the back room which, Maya assumed, was where they tested new products.

The store was huge and colorful, and if Maya could guess what the inside of George and Fred’s brains looked like, she figured it would be like this. Shelves stocked all the way up to the top with so many different things that Maya has never even heard of, and she thought some should even be illegal. Especially the fireworks that George was now looking at.

“I’m pretty sure if you buy that, you might destroy the entire castle,” she told him, once she got over her initial shock of the store.

“And that’s exactly why I should get it,” he winked at her.

They continued to walk around, George giving her a grand tour. He knew the store like the back of his hand, he knew where everything was, and she wasn’t even surprised when he started talking to the owner of the store as if they were best friends. Mr. Zonko (which is what Maya guessed was the man’s name) asked George where Fred was, after several years of knowing them this was probably the first time he saw them apart.

“He’s got a date today,” George answered him with a teasing smile.

Mr. Zonko’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “Ah, and he didn’t want to take his date here like you did?”

Both George and Maya froze. Maya’s face felt warm and she didn’t doubt her cheeks matched the shade of George’s hair. She hid her face behind her scarf as much as she could but knew that Mr. Zonko noticed and laughed at the two kids’ embarrassment.

George made a strange choking noise before finally speaking. “This um…it’s not a date.”

“We’re just friends!” Maya added quickly.

He stared at the two of them curiously then smiled again. “Just messing with you kids, but let your brother know I’m cross with him for not visiting!” He said, his tone a teasing one.

George, eager to get out of the awkward situation, nodded and turned around gesturing to leave. Maya followed but heard Mr. Zonko make one last joke before they left.

“I’ll see you two in a year or two! Couples can get a discount!”

Maya’s face somehow got even more red as she hurriedly walked out the door with George not too far behind. The cold air outside helped her face cool down and felt more relaxed, but still embarrassed.

They walked in silence together, both too embarrassed to speak. But eventually, George, ever the Gryffindor, mustered enough courage and finally broke the silence.

“I’m sorry about him…he’s a bit…” he paused to try and think of a word, “loony.”

Maya cracked a small smile. “It’s okay. He was a bit funny.”

George let out a breathy laugh. “He is, isn’t he! He isn’t kidding when he says he’ll be cross with Fred! He’ll definitely turn his hair green next visit, I reckon.”

“He reminded me a bit of you two,” Maya told him earnestly and he beamed at that. “If you ever end up like him when you’re older, remind me to stay away. I don’t need my hair turning green.”

They decided to go to Honeydukes next, eager to get Christmas presents for everyone and more pumpkin pasties for Pumpkin. The smell once they walked in made Maya’s mouth water and she swears this is what heaven would smell like.

Maya and George wandered around the store together picking out gifts and eventually Maya shooed him away so she can find something for him. She snuck something from Zonko’s as well, before the embarrassing encounter, but she wanted to get him sweets as well.

Eventually they made it out and Maya felt proud of herself for another successful year of Christmas shopping. George made the decision that they’d go to the Shrieking Shack next, so they headed in that direction but were immediately stopped as Maya’s eyes landed on one of the shop windows.

“I’m in love,” she breathed.

George looked at her with bewilderment. “What?”

She ran to the window and pressed her hands to the glass like a child would. George followed her slowly then laughed once he saw what she was looking at.

Sitting on the window in display were four brown teddy bears, each with a different sweater on it resembling the House colors. Maya was about to cry from how cute they were.

“George, they’re beautiful! Do you see how well the green of the Slytherin sweater goes with its fur?”

George snorted. “Yeah, the bear has great style.”

Maya squinted her eyes on the small price tag on the bears and sighed when she realized she used up all her money for Christmas shopping.

“Damn it!” She groaned then placed her hand at the spot where the Slytherin bear sat. “I’ll be back for you! Don’t worry Mr. Slytherin Bear, next visit I will adopt you!”

George couldn’t hold in his laughter at Maya’s behavior. “I think the bear will survive a bit longer, Frances.”

She crossed her arms. “He looks cold up there on display.”

“Well, he’s got the sweater to keep him warm,” George chuckled and started to walk again so they could get to their destination.

Maya followed him and let her gaze stay on the lonely bears. “It’s not enough, he needs to be loved and cherished, duh.”

“Right, yeah, obviously,” he laughed, and Maya eventually joined him. “Personally, I liked the Gryffindor one better.”

Maya bumped her shoulder into his side. “Yeah of course you would.”

They laughed and made their way up the snowy hill together. Maya kept thinking about how cute the bears were and wanted to show Lucy next trip because she’d probably want one as well.

The hill to get up was steep and by the end Maya no longer felt cold from the snow and actually worked up quite a sweat. George looked fine of course, stupidly in shape thanks to Quidditch. They arrived at the top of the hill and Maya was able to see the supposedly haunted shack from a distance. She felt a strangely strong urge to get closer and she blamed it on her curiosity.

“I wish we could somehow get in,” she spoke up.

“You know we go to school in a castle filled with ghosts, right?” George pointed out.

“Yeah of course I know that, but those are like normal ghosts—” she laughed, “well most of them are normal, not Peeves though.”

“Merlin, you don’t think the shrieking shack would be filled with a million different poltergeists like Peeves, do you?”

Maya snorted. “Definitely not, based off the stories I would assume that these are…evil spirits.”

“Evil spirits?” George gave her a teasing smile, earning a nudge in return.

“Shut up, I mean like the ones from horror movies,” she looked at him and saw the confused look in his eyes and sighed. “Ugh, you purebloods need to get out more. I’ll show you a horror movie one day, lots of demons, screaming, and chaos. Sounds like your kind of movie.”

George smiled and was about to say something when a voice came out of nowhere and made them jump.

“You wanna bring a Ouija Board in there, Frances?”

Maya turned around and saw Lucy walking up with Seamus, Dean not too far behind.

She laughed at her friend’s suggestion. “Absolutely, fingers crossed one of us gets possessed.”

Seamus and Dean who were both familiar with muggle products laughed, but George looked at Maya confused, silently asking for an explanation.

“It’s a muggle thing to talk to ghosts,” she told him then laughed as his face when from confusion to amazing.

“You mean muggles can do magic?!” He gawked.

Lucy snorted. “You can call it that, sure.”

Lucy and Seamus were holding hands and they both looked happy together, though she didn’t understand how Dean somehow got wrapped up in the date. Dean looked a bit uncomfortable himself, but relaxed when he saw other people, so he was no longer third wheeling.

George squeezed her arm quickly to get her attention.

“I think I need to find Fred real quickly, so I’m going to head back down and look for him,” he said, nervously rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

“Okay, do you want me to come down with you?”

“No!” He said quickly making Maya jump back a bit. “I-I mean, no thanks. Fred might get mad because…you know…” he casted a quick glance at Lucy and Maya knew what he meant, though Fred wasn’t mad at _her_ so why would he get angry if she went with him?

She could tell he was lying, but she tried to hide her disappointment in her voice. “Yeah, okay. I’ll stay here with Dean, so he doesn’t third wheel. Tell Freddie hi for me.”

George smiled at her then turned to walk back down the hill. She didn’t know where she went wrong. They were having a great time she thought, so why was he so desperate to leave? Was he still uncomfortable from Zonko’s? She honestly forgot about it once they arrived at Honeydukes.

Suddenly a snowball hit her right in the back, interrupting her thoughts. She turned and saw Lucy sticking her tongue out at her.

“Come on! Boys versus girls!”

-

The next day was the annual Christmas celebration in McGonagall’s classroom. Lucy and Fred were still fighting with each other, but they agreed to behave so they could celebrate before leaving for the next few weeks. Hermione and Ginny told Ron and Harry about continuing their tradition, and at first, they agreed to come, but there was a change of plans that morning.

Hermione told Maya and Lucy that Harry had overheard some information on Sirius Black that upset him, and Maya was able to connect the dots. She remembered what Draco had told her and knew that it would upset Harry. What she _didn’t_ know, however, was the fact that apparently Sirius Black had been his Godfather.

Maya didn’t like the idea of Harry being alone after hearing this news, and she thought that a fun celebration might even help him feel better, but she respected his wishes. If she were in his place, the thought of being around a bunch of friends might make her uneasy, so she stayed to celebrate with everyone else.

The room was properly decorated, Christmas lights up, paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, and a Christmas tree in a corner with presents underneath. Maya got a record player to play some muggle Christmas songs and everyone was sitting by the tree, stomachs filled with sweets.

Maya noticed how Ron’s smile didn’t completely reach his eyes and sensed he was worried about Harry. Hermione brought him extra cookies to make him feel better, but he obviously wanted to check on his best friend.

“Let’s do presents,” Maya suggested to try and lighten the mood. It was still a bit early, but if they did it now then Ron could get to Harry sooner.

“Already?” Fred asked.

“Yeah, I know Hermione got us all different chocolates and I want them,” Maya teased. She didn’t want to say it was because she worried about Ron, the twins would tease him if she did.

Everyone passed out their gifts for each other and made a separate pile of gifts that were for Harry. Hermione handed everyone their gifts and frustratedly tossed Maya’s gift to her, clearly upset with her for telling everyone what she got them.

Maya watched as everyone happily opened their gifts from her and Lucy and laughed when Fred crashed the Hot Wheel cars they got him. Everyone seemed content, even Ron who had relaxed once he started eating the sugar quill Hermione had gotten him. Lucy and Fred were even laughing and smiling together as she taught him how to properly play with Hot Wheels (“You can make the cars race, Weasley.” “But it’s more fun if they crash!”).

The scene made Maya happy. This time of year always made her sentimental, but she really did love all her friends. Watching them all laugh and horrifically sing along to the Christmas songs filled her with so much joy that her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Going back home is going to be hard, the holidays after her parents split up was never as fun, but at least she got to have fun while at school.

A small tug on her sleeve pulled her out of her thoughts.

She turned her head to see George standing there sheepishly, hand on his neck and cheeks slightly pink. He looked almost…embarrassed.

“What’s up?” she asked him curiously.

“Um…well I got you a gift…” he started, but Maya cut him off.

“What?!” She never expected a gift from him. She knew about the Weasley’s financial struggle and never wanted them to spend money on her, especially if she didn’t need anything. As cheesy as it sounds, her friendship with the twins was better than any gift she could get, and she had _thought_ George knew that.

He smiled at her. “Don’t make a big deal, Frances. It’s just a gift.”

She scowled at his teasing tone. “You _know_ you don’t need to get me anything. As annoying as you are, your friendship is—”

“My friendship is a good enough gift, I know,” he rolled his eyes at her cheesiness, “but I _wanted_ to get you this. And really, if you don’t accept it then that’s considered rude.”

She stared at him, not exactly sure what to say. George ignored her confused silence and started to drag her to the other side of the room, away from everyone else.

“Why do I have to open it from a distance? Is it going to blow up? Did you poison it? Are you going to kill me?”

George snorted. “Yes, Frances. My gift is murder.”

“I always thought Fred would be the one to kill me,” she teased, “I can’t believe I’ve been so blind.”

George laughed and stopped once he decided they were a good distance away from everyone else. Suddenly his shyness from before was back as he reached from under a desk and picked up a small golden back with white tissue paper. He slowly handed it to her, and she took it cautiously, the chance of a gift from George Weasley blowing up is more likely than one may think. But when she pulled out the tissue paper, it didn’t blow up and she caught of something brown…and fuzzy…and… “Holy shit! George you didn’t!”

Inside the bag was the bear she saw in Hogsmeade that she wanted so desperately. She thought back to their trip and how he could have even gotten it without her noticing, then remembered when he had left abruptly. He left to get her a gift.

The strange fluttery feeling in her stomach returned at the thought of George going back for her. Then she frowned when she remembered how much the bears cost.

“George…you really didn’t have to—”

George shook his head and squeezed her shoulder to stop her. “No, before you start let me explain,” he looked at her to make sure she won’t interrupt before he continued. “I was already planning on getting you a gift this year. I remembered last year when you mentioned how stressful Christmas had become because of your parents and then how you don’t enjoy going home as much because of your dad, so I wanted to get you something that could remind you of your friends here.”

“At first, I didn’t really know what a good gift would be, but then when you saw the bears, I realized it was perfect. Also, I technically didn’t get the exact one you wanted, so don’t get mad.”

Maya looked back in the bag and finally took the bear out. She was shocked she hadn’t noticed right away. Instead of the green sweater for the Slytherin bear, the bear wore a Gryffindor red sweater.

“It’s so you’ll think of me,” George said quickly without thinking, his face turned red as he realized what he’d said. “And Fred too of course! Or Ron even! You’re close with Harry too if you want to think of—” He stopped as a pair of arms wrapped around his neck tightly.

Maya engulfed him in a firm hug, she had to go on her tippy toes to properly reach him, but she didn’t care. The gift was perfect. It was exactly what she would need at home, and she loved it.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she hid her red face on his shoulder. Her voice must have taken the shock off George, she felt him wrap his arms around her waist to return the hug. The fluttery feeling got more aggressive as they held each other, but neither dared to pull away.

“Oi! Lovebirds!” Fred’s voice shouted from the other side of the room. “Are you two just gonna stand there or can you actually help us clean up?”

-

Once the room was properly back in order (and Maya’s face was no longer as red as the sweater on her new stuffed bear), everyone started to head out. Lucy suggested the two of them walk to their common rooms together, but Maya had an idea that she was determined to fulfill.

She needed to talk to Harry.

She told Lucy she wanted to stop by the Gryffindor common room to wish Harry a Merry Christmas before she left the next day, so Fred said he’d take Lucy to her common room and Maya can go with the others.

All was decided and Maya patiently waited beside the entrance of the Gryffindor common room as Ron went in to get Harry. They said they could sneak her in, but Maya didn’t want to get weird stares from everyone, so she remained outside alone.

The portrait suddenly swung open and a disoriented Harry stepped out.

“Hiya Harry!” Maya chirped.

Harry looked at her like she had three heads. “I just woke up from a nap.”

“Was it a good nap?”

“Brilliant,” Harry responded dryly. “Can I help you?”

Maya scowled at him. “No need to be so rude. You’re starting to remind me of Draco…” Harry blinked at her. “Okay, well I wanted to ask if you were okay because I know you found out some tough shit and then I was going to offer an adventure to make you feel better but if you’re gonna be like that then—”

“Adventure?” Harry raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious.

Maya beamed at him. Of course, that’d get his attention. “I have to make a quick trip to Hogsmeade and can’t do it without the map and also your invisibility cloak might help as well.”

Harry snorted. “Right, so you didn’t want me to come, you just need my things?”

“No! I also hate that you’re locking yourself up in your dorm and wanted to take your mind off things,” she defended herself. “How dare you claim me to be so selfish! I would never use you for your super cool invisibility cloak unless it was to raid Honeydukes or something.”

“You know there’s technically a murderer after me and I’m not supposed to go anywhere, right?”

“Okay, and?”

Harry smiled at her and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll go get my things.”

-

The two of them fit comfortably under the cloak thanks to Maya’s short height, and they successfully made it into Hogsmeade with no issues. They kept the cloak on when out in the open, just in case a professor was out…or if Sirius Black was lurking around Hogsmeade.

Maya led the way to the shop and was relieved to see it was still open. They took the cloak off then walked in.

“Um…I’m not judging, but what do you need from this shop?” Harry asked Maya.

Instead of answering his question, she walked over to the shelf she’s had her eye on and reached for the bear she wanted.

“Is it a gift for someone?” Harry asked then his eyes widened, and he made retching noises. “Gross! Did you bring me here so you can get a gift for _Malfoy_?”

Maya rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. “Potter, I would never subject you to that torture. Also, if he found out you were near his gift, he’d probably burn it.” She lifted the bear proudly, “I’m getting it for George.”

“Right, okay, you know he’s not a Slytherin right?”

Maya rolled her eyes. “I’m aware of that, thank you.” She walked past him to pay.

“Then why are you getting him _that_ bear?” He followed her.

“He likes the color green, he said it reminds him of your eyes,” Maya teased and stuck her tongue out at him.

Harry snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s _my_ eyes he’s thinking about.”

Maya felt her cheeks flush and didn’t respond. Instead, she smiled at the man behind the counter and paid for the bear, purposefully ignoring Harry’s chuckling behind her. The man offered to wrap the gift for her which she politely accepted then asked for a Quill so she could leave a small note. She didn’t need to sign her name, George would already know it’s from her, but she still wanted to leave a message. With a quick burst of confidence, she wrote the note and reread it a few times to make sure her shaky handwriting was eligible.

“ _So you’ll think of me._ ”

Once everything was paid for, the two of them went outside and hid back under the cloak.

“So why was it so important that you get this bear for George now?” Harry asked, abruptly ruining the peaceful silence.

She sighed. “He got me a gift and I wasn’t expecting it. All I got him was a few small muggle toys and a tiny gift from Zonko’s and he got me this sentimental gift…I don’t know I felt like I should give him one in return.” Harry nodded as if that made perfect sense.

They entered the passageway between Honeydukes and Hogwarts. Harry pulled off the cloak now that they weren’t around anyone and continued to walk in silence. Once they reached Hogwarts, Harry took out the map to make sure no one was there, then they stepped out.

They made their way to the Gryffindor common room and let out a breath of relief once they successfully weren’t caught.

“Do you need me to sneak you in so you can give him the gift?” Harry suggested.

Maya shook her head. She might get too scared to give it to him if she actually saw him. “Can you give it to him for me?”

“Sure, but if he thinks it’s from me then you have to explain to Ron that I don’t fancy his brother,” Harry joked, but Maya frowned at him.

“I don’t _fancy_ George!” she shouted, purposefully making fun of Harry’s accent when saying fancy. “He’s just a really good friend!”

“Okay, Frances,” Harry said then made his way to the portrait hole but paused before he went inside. “Um…thanks for getting me out of my room. I had fun,” he smiled at her.

Maya smiled back at him. “Of course! If you ever wanna sneak out again, knock on the common room door,” she paused, “or don’t…Draco might open it and hex you…maybe just write a letter.”

Harry laughed. “Will do.” He started to walk inside.

“Harry?” He turned to her again. “Reach out if you need anything, okay? I’m your friend and unfortunately that means I care about you.”

“Enough for my own stuffed bear?” He teased.

“Ha…ha…you’re hilarious,” she rolled her eyes. “Merry Christmas, Harry. And I’m sorry your life sucks.” Harry let out a proper laugh, making Maya’s smile even bigger.

“Merry Christmas, Maya,” then he turned and finally went inside.

-

Christmas was once again a mess, but this time she was prepared.

She didn’t stress as much about seeing her dad, though the visit with him was difficult as usual. However, she didn’t mind now that she didn’t feel as alone. The bear that George had gotten (which she secretly named Georgie) had helped her significantly. Whenever she felt sad or alone, she would hold him and immediately felt better. She knew it was childish to rely on a stuffed animal, but she didn’t care.

Lucy and her brothers teased her for it, but for very different reasons. Her brothers kept calling her a toddler which she would flip them off for in return. Lucy, however, kept saying the gift was “from her boyfriend George!” which Maya would respond to with a slap on the back of her head.

Once she returned back to school, she found out Fred had made fun of George for the bear as well, but apparently, he never told him who it was from. Lucy and Harry both knew, but neither said anything which Maya appreciated gratefully. George was able to thank her in private but was a little thrown off when he’d received it from Harry.

For a while things were back to normal, but when Lucy once again sat next to Seamus during meals, the fighting between her and Fred picked up again. Lucy and Seamus seemed to be getting along well, though. Lucy did seem to really like him, and they even got each other Christmas gifts, so obviously it was working out.

Due to the nonstop arguing, most of January for Maya was spent with either George in the Kitchens, Draco in their secret room, and Pumpkin at night to feed him.

February came sooner than expected and Maya thought her head was going to explode if one more person brought up Valentine’s Day or the upcoming quidditch match with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Between Lucy and the twins, no other topics were brought up.

Lucy kept getting angry at Seamus for not having planned a Valentine’s date (which earned a scoff from Fred) so she kept ranting to Maya. George kept talking about how Harry had received a Firebolt and was trying to convince McGonagall to let him use it for the match. And worst of all was Draco, who wouldn’t shut up about “trying to get justice” after the Buckbeak incident, which Maya thought was absolute bullshit, but when he wasn’t talking about that, he would complain about how “awful Saint Potter” is, so she let him ramble about Buckbeak instead.

It was now the day of the Ravenclaw vs Gryffindor match and Maya came to the conclusion that she did not care for the match at all. Instead, she told Pumpkin the night before to meet her in the same spot as usual and she’ll feed him more treats while he watches the match because for some reason it entertained him last time. She asked Lucy if she wanted to sit with her, but she said she had to cheer on for the Ravenclaw team, so she was going to sit with them.

So that’s how Maya found herself with a basket filled with food sat on a warm patch of grass with a dog stretched next to her, happily chewing on a ham sandwich. She ran her hands through his fur while reading a book. For the first time since Christmas, she finally felt relaxed. She turned to Pumpkin and smiled at him.

“Thanks for not complaining about Valentine’s Day,” she said, earning a head tilt in response. “I hope you’re not alone to celebrate, though. Do you have a lady dog to keep you company?” Another head tilt. “Or a boy dog, I don’t judge. Or is it a cat? I might judge if it’s a cat…or a deer…or any type of animal that’s not a dog really.” At this point she was just talking to herself as Pumpkin’s attention turned back to the ham sandwich.

“Hey Pumpkin?” Maya tried for his attention again, he looked back at her. “Where do you go after I feed you? Do you have any friends to play with?” He stared at her blankly. She sighed, of course he wouldn’t respond…he’s a dog after all. “Sorry to disturb you from your sandwich. You can go back to slobbering now.” Pumpkin put a paw on her knee before going back to his food.

“I’m your friend,” she smiled at him then went back to her book.

The match continued on for another fifteen minutes and Maya was fully relaxed and absorbed into the book she was reading. The plot was finally picking up and she didn’t realize that Pumpkin was barking till he knocked the book out of her hands. She looked up to scowl at him, but then saw hooded figures down by the pitch.

How could dementors get in without her noticing? Wouldn’t she sense them like usual?

She tried getting a closer look.

“Oh, for fucks sake!” she grumbled. “Those aren’t dementors! That’s just fucking Draco and the rest of those idiots. I swear to god I’m going to—” She was cut off by a silver light blasting out of Harry’s wand. Next thing she knew, Draco and the others were sprawled out on the ground.

She scoffed. “Serves him right! Nice shot, Harry!” Pumpkin barked excitedly and leaped around on the grass.

Suddenly interested in the game, Maya watched as Harry was reaching out for the snitch and she cheered once he caught it and the whistle blew. She laughed at Pumpkin as he continued to do his excited leaps.

“I’m gonna go congratulate them,” she told him. “I’ll see you later, yeah?” He barked back in response, did one last victory leap, then turned to leave.

She ran to the pitch to get to the twins and Harry. She needed to tell Harry how awesome that spell he casted was. She found him with the twins, just out of the giant crowd that had formed.

“Frances!” Fred shouted. “Did you see me knock one of those blokes off their brooms?”

Maya laughed. “No, sorry must have missed that part. But I did see Harry scare the living shit out of Draco! Nice shot!” She high fived him. She turned to Fred and George. “You two should have seen Pumpkin! I think this dog actually understands quidditch! He’s like some dog prodigy! When Harry caught the snitch, he—” Someone behind them cleared their throat.

Maya turned around and found Professor Lupin standing not too far from them.

“Did you say a dog, Miss Frances?” He asked, his face unreadable.

“Um…no?” She tried to sound convincing.

“She said um…fog,” George chimed in, trying to help.

Professor Lupin looked as if he had seen a ghost and Maya feared he might report the dog to a pound…or maybe it was his dog he’d lost?

“Can I speak with you, Miss Frances. It’ll be quick, I’ll let you celebrate after,” he asked her.

Maya looked at the twins and Harry for help, but neither of them knew what to do. Harry didn’t even know about the dog, but even he could sense Maya might be in trouble.

“Come on, Harry,” George spoke up. “Party in the Gryffindor common room, best not be late.”

The three of them left and Maya stood there awkwardly while waiting for Lupin to start. Once he decided they were a good distance away, he finally spoke up.

“You’re not in trouble,” he said, and Maya instantly let out a breath of relief. “I just want to know what this supposed dog looks like.”

Maybe she was right, maybe it was his lost dog. That would explain why Pumpkin was lost when she first found him.

“Is he yours? Did you lose a dog?”

“No,” he breathed a ragged breath. “Not mine. What does he look like?”

“Um…well he’s got dark black fur and pointed ears. He’s big, but I swear he’s not dangerous or anything. He’s actually super friendly.”

His face managed to become even paler at her response. “Where and when did you first run into him?”

She looked at him with worry. He looked like he was about to faint. “Professor, are you alright? You look like you need to sit down.”

“Where and when did you first run into him?” He persisted.

She sighed. “Halloween, behind a building in Hogsmeade. Why?”

Lupin looked her dead in the eyes and took another ragged breath. “You can’t continue to see this dog. It’s dangerous.”

“No!” she shouted at him. “He’s not dangerous! He’s just a stray, if it wasn’t for me, he’d be dead by now! Someone has to feed him, or he’ll starve! Or freeze! Or—”

“Going up to a stray dog is dangerous—”

Maya was angry. That familiar raging anger she had earlier in the year was threatening to burst, like a fire in her gut ready to come out of her throat.

“Don’t you think if this dog was going to kill me, he would’ve done so already!” she shouted at him. Her fists balled up as she tried desperately not to lose control like she did that night with George.

“It’s not safe—”

“I don’t care! He’s all alone! Do you have any idea what it’s like to feel that way? He needs me!” A voice in her head kept telling her to shout more and more, but as quickly as the anger had come, it disappeared once she saw the look of hurt in her professor’s eyes.

“Maya,” he knelt down to get to her level. “There are some things you don’t understand, and I need you to trust me,” he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, “please, leave the dog alone.”

What was wrong with her? Why had she shouted at him? Here was this kind man who had easily became her favorite professor after just a few lessons, and she had lost control and shouted at him. She knew she had to listen to him now, otherwise she would be just as much of an asshole as Draco.

“Yes, Professor,” she sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Lupin sighed and stood back up.

“Me too,” he looked at her, then moved his eyes past her as if he saw something. “Me too,” he whispered again.

-

That same night Sirius Black had broken into the castle. He got closer this time, actually managing to get into the Gryffindor common room. According to Ron, he woke up to Sirius Black standing over him with a knife in his hand, but he disappeared before anyone else woke up.

The next morning when news had spread, Maya and Lucy didn’t hesitate to make sure everyone was ok. Everyone at the Gryffindor table looked exhausted due to the night of no sleep.

Lucy seemed to have forgotten any fights she had been having with Fred and immediately engulfed him in a hug which he returned instantly. Maya watched from a distance and shot confused glances at George who looked just as confused.

“Don’t worry about me,” came a voice, “I’m totally fine. I was in the same room that Sirius Black was in but go on. Hug him instead.” It was Seamus.

Lucy released Fred once she realized who was talking to her and grimaced. Clearly, she had forgotten about Seamus when preoccupied with worrying about Fred.

“Are you um…you okay Seamus” He scoffed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t forget about you I swear! I just saw Fred first!”

“And because I’m worth getting fussed over,” Fred joked, ignoring the obvious tension in the room.

Seamus gawked. “Oh, and I’m not?”

That was all it took for the two of them to get in each other’s faces and scream.

Maya slowly backed away from the fight and stood closer to where Harry and George were standing.

“I know I should look away,” whispered Harry, “but a part of me needs to know what’s going to happen.” Maya, George, and Ron all nodded in agreement.

“Seamus is short, but I don’t doubt he could throw a punch at Fred,” George added. “Unfortunately, that’ll mean I have to help him out.”

Everyone’s attention turned back to the group arguing when Lucy got in between the two boys and shouted.

“ENOUGH!” Her voice boomed. “I swear to fuck the two of you are like children!” She turned her focus to Seamus first.

“You!” she shouted, “you haven’t paid any attention to me in the past two weeks and haven’t even _mentioned_ the idea of Valentine’s Day, so you have absolutely no right to get mad at me for putting my attention elsewhere! If you want my attention, then fucking do something to deserve it!” She took a deep breath then turned back to Fred. “And You!”

“Oh no,” George muttered.

“You have been nothing but an absolute dickhead since the moment I mentioned going out with Seamus!” Her face started to get red, but she kept going. “If you so badly wanted to go out with me,” she stopped when Fred was about to interrupt, “do NOT interrupt me, I know you were jealous you dipshit! If you wanted to go out with me so badly then you should have grown a pair AND ASKED ME YOURSELF!”

“And don’t get ahead of yourself thinking I forgave you when I hugged you! I freaked out because a motherfucking MURDERER broke into your common room and I hated the idea of somehow losing you while we were fighting!” Maya noticed a few tears start to stream down Lucy’s cheek. “But then you ruined it by being a dick again!”

She finally stepped away from the two boys. “Now when you two are done being little shits, let me know and maybe I’ll be willing to talk to you.” And with that, she turned around and left the Great Hall.

“I should um…” Maya started, “I should probably go make sure she’s alright.”

She turned around to follow her friend but was stopped shortly by Professor McGonagall.

“Sorry to interrupt, Miss Frances, but you are needed in Dumbledore’s office,” she said.

Maya looked over her professor’s shoulders to try and get a glimpse of Lucy, but she had been too quick. “Can he please wait, Professor? My friend needs me.”

Professor McGonagall sighed. “Believe me, me and two other professors tried to convince Dumbledore to wait, but he’s persistent at the moment.”

That got Maya’s attention. What other professors were in Dumbledore’s office waiting for her? Was she in trouble? Did Professor Lupin tell Dumbledore about the dog? If he did, she’d start a riot, there was nothing wrong with what she did for Pumpkin.

“Okay,” she said finally, “I’ll go, but I want to make it quick.”

They walked to his office silently and quickly. She’d only ever been called to Dumbledore’s office once before and it was only to discuss private lessons with Trelawney. Maybe this was just to get an update on her progress. But why would he be so persistent on this meeting? And why did two other professors want him to wait?

They arrived and once Maya walked in, she was greeted with a stressed Professor Trelawney and an exhausted looking Professor Lupin. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk smiling gently at Maya, but all it did was make her more nervous.

“Good morning, Miss Frances,” he nodded at her. “Have a seat.”

She took a seat by his desk so that she was across from him. Now that she was close, she noticed the familiar wanted poster with Sirius Black’s face on it. But before she could say anything, Dumbledore spoke first.

“Is your friend alright?”

Maya stared at him with bewilderment. “Um…how did you know about that? You weren’t there?”

“I always know what happens in the castle, Miss Frances,” he winked at her.

“Right well if you know everything that happens then you’d know that I would like to be with her right now because she was upset,” Maya said impatiently. She heard McGonagall and Trelawney both cringe at her attitude, but heard a soft chuckle come from Professor Lupin.

Dumbledore continued to smile at her. “I understand your urgency Maya, but I need your help with something."

She looked back at the poster on his desk. “Does it have anything to do with that?” She gestured towards it.

He picked up the poster and examined it as if it was the first time, he’d seen it. “Professor Trelawney has been keeping me updated on your progress with your visions. You’ve gotten better control of them, is that correct?” Maya nodded.

“Well as you are well aware, Sirius Black had once again broken into Hogwarts last night—”

“And you want me to try and see where he is?” Maya finished for him. “There’s an issue, Professor. I’m sure I can get some information on Black, but I don’t think I can get his location. Professor Trelawney and I have been working on getting visions of the past and a bit of the future, but I haven’t gotten any from the present yet.”

Professor Lupin piped in. “You can get visions of the past?” Maya nodded. “Dumbledore, sir, if that’s possible do you think—”

Dumbledore raised a hand and Lupin stopped. “Maybe you can try to get a glimpse of the present now?”

Maya ignored Dumbledore and looked at Lupin instead. “Would it be better to look at the past? That’s possible, if you want.”

Lupin looked at her then back to Dumbledore. He looked like he wanted to say something, like he wanted to tell her to try, but didn’t know what Dumbledore would say.

“I think it’s best if we try the present for now,” Dumbledore confirmed. “We don’t want you to accidentally see something that could harm you.”

“You mean Voldemort?” Maya asked, everyone in the room flinched. “Sorry…uh You-Know-Who.”

“Yes, Miss Frances,” Dumbledore nodded at her. “Now, I know I’m already asking a lot from you, but I was hoping we could also try and see if you can share your vision as well.”

Maya shook her head to protest, but Trelawney beat her to it.

“Absolutely not Professor!” She argued. “Miss Frances will already feel drained after attempting at a vision of the present, if she tried to share it as well, there’s a chance she might pass out!”

Dumbledore raised a hand to his beard as he tended to do when thinking. “I don’t want you to hurt or drain yourself, Maya. Can you promise you will report back everything you see?”

Maya nodded and made her promise before she took a deep breath and placed a hand on the wanted poster. She closed her eyes and let her mind clear so it can be filled with visions. She felt the tug in her gut that she usually feels, but instead of letting it completely engulf her, she pulled at it slightly and kept repeating “where is he?” in her head, so she can try and get the right visions. But the feeling inside got stronger and started to force her mind to delve deeper. She hadn’t felt so aggressively thrown into a vision since last year and before she knew it, her mind was flooded with images. Images of Sirius Black’s past.

“Name’s James Potter,” A voice called out, causing Maya to turn around. She saw Harry’s dad, eleven years old in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, with his hand reached out for a handshake. “What’s yours?”

Another hand reached out, another eleven-year-old boy with longer hair shook his hand and grinned a grin that can only be described as mischievous. “Sirius Black, mind if I sit here? Mum will be pissed if I do.”

The vision blurred and another image appeared. Four boys in their dorm, sitting on the floor and candy wrappers all over the floor.

“But whyyy?” she heard Sirius moan. “Why can’t we pull another prank on Snivellus?”

Another boy with tawny brown hair and a chocolate bar in his hand rolled his eyes. “Because we already pranked him twice this week. If we do it again, we’ll get caught, and if I have to sit in another detention because of you I’ll slip a potion to turn your hair pink.”

Harry’s dad snorted from where he was sitting. “As if Sirius wouldn’t enjoy trying to pull off hot pink hair.”

Another vision appeared and more and more memories from Sirius Black’s past came and went. She didn’t realize why he looked so familiar until the four of them were sat in the room where she last had a vision of James Potter. When they referred to each other by their nicknames. That’s when it hit her. Sirius Black was padfoot.

She watched as the group of friends first ran into their secret room and she watched the adventures they had. The next memorable vision she saw was of the tawny haired boy alone in the room with Sirius. They had to be in year two or three by now, but the tawny haired boy had already looked like he’d gone through so much. He looked tired and pale, and he had scars similar to someone…but no…it couldn’t be?

“Lupin,” Sirius had spoken.

Holy shit it was. This was her professor as a young boy.

“Go away, Sirius,” the boy, Professor Lupin, muttered with his head in his hands. “Just go and tell Dumbledore, get it over with alright? I’ll pack my things once you lot clear the dorm.”

Sirius walked over to him slowly. “Remus,” he spoke softly, “do you honestly think we would tell Dumbledore?”

Lupin lifted his head out of his hands and stared at Sirius with confusion. “Why the bloody hell wouldn’t you? I’m a _monster,_ ” he spat the last word. “I’m dangerous, it’ll be better for everyone.”

Sirius snorted. “Dangerous? Mate the other day you folded James’s socks; they weren’t even yours!”

Lupin stared at him angrily. “This isn’t a fucking joke, Black! I’m a werewolf!”

Maya gasped and quickly covered her mouth, though she’s not sure why because there’s no way they could hear her.

“Yeah, and you know what me James and Pete all think?” Sirius said, taking a seat right next to his friend. “We think that’s awesome.”

Lupin looked at his friend, Maya watched as several different emotions went through him. Anger, confusion, sad, then settled on relieved. And so quickly his mood changed, and he was laughing. He was laughing so hard that he had clutched his stomach and started wheezing.

“You lot are mental!” he wheezed. “You think it’s awesome?” Sirius nodded, smiling as his friend was struggling to breathe from laughter. “Of course, you do, why would I expect anything else from you guys?”

A muffled voice came from the door. “Does that mean we can come in now?”

“I told James to wait outside, didn’t want to overwhelm you. Can him and Pete come in?”

Remus nodded and continued to laugh. “Bloody mental,” he wheezed one last time.

The vision blurred and Maya tried once again to get control, she needed to see where he was _now_ , not what he was doing over ten years ago, but once again she was shoved into another vision.

This time James, Sirius, and Peter were in the library. They were hidden in the back with a large book that Maya couldn’t get a glimpse of to read the cover.

“It’s going to be difficult,” Peter said. “I’m not the best with magic, do you think I’ll even be able to do it?”

“Absolutely, Pete,” James smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’re all properly motivated, that’s what’s really important. Isn’t it?”

“What if I’m something really small though?” Peter worried. “What if he kills me?”

Sirius glared at Peter. “He’s not going to kill you, pea-brain. It’s Remus, he wouldn’t do that.”

James snorted. “Relax, Pete is only joking. But he has got a point. We know Remus won’t kill us, but the wolf—”

Sirius stood up. “If the wolf were to do anything, I’d stop it. I know I won’t be a small animal, not if I can help it.”

“But you can’t—” Peter started, but Sirius was already gone.

After that, visions kept moving in a flash, faster than she had seen before, but she was able to get it all. She saw the boys studying more, she saw them playing quidditch, or in Hogsmeade. She’d seen some terrible things, some of a dark house with a terrifying woman. But what scared her the most was the vision she saw of Sirius running away. Because one moment he was running out of the house with two legs, but then he was in the middle of London with four legs, dark fur, pointed ears, and a tail.

Sirius was an animagus. And he was a dog. A dog that had become so familiar to her, that had become her friend. A dog that she was told just yesterday to stay away from, because Professor Lupin knew that he was dangerous. Because that dog was Sirius Black.

More visions, picking up speed, she thought she caught sight of the present. There was something familiar that looked like it was from London, there were cars that looked more modern, so she assumed it was from now, but it was hard to tell because as quickly as she saw it, it disappeared and was replaced with another vision of the past.

There was Sirius Black, about the same age he looked in his mugshot, storming through a crowd with a face filled with so much pain it almost made Maya cry. Black had caught sight of someone and started sprinting. Maya watched closely until she heard him shout.

“Pettigrew!”

Suddenly she knew what this would be a memory of, and she couldn’t see it, she’d already seen too much. She willed every part of herself to push out the vision, to try and come back. She desperately squeezed her eyes shut and started breathing frantically.

“How could you!” She heard Sirius shout again.

_“Leave, Leave, Leave_ ,” she kept repeating in her mind, and suddenly with a jolt, she was back in the present.

She gasped and gripped the chair tightly, everyone had swarmed around her with nervous faces, but she only looked for one face. And there he was. And suddenly she didn’t know how she couldn’t tell before from her first vision of him.

Tawny brown hair, pale face, amber eyes, and scars on his face.

Remus Lupin, not just her professor, but friend of James Potter and Sirius Black, Moony.

She looked at him and only him.

“I don’t know where he is,” she lied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I am so so sorry for the lack of updates recently. I have been ✨unstable✨ and also my second semester started so now I'm extra busy. I'm already working on the next chapter though so hopefully the next one will be out in a week. We have one more chapter of year 3 (finally) and then I'll probably take a week or two to plan and sort out year 4. I already know the gist of what I'm doing, but I gotta organize my thoughts.  
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and sorry about the cliffhanger!  
> (Also happy Valentine's Day!)  
> Follow my Tumblr @miaafrances for updates or if you want to chat :)


	13. Chapter 13: Year 3-Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t know what rollerblades are,” Fred said, “but I’d like to see you two attempting to fly on a broom.”  
> George laughed. “We could place bets on who falls off first,” he nudged Maya with his elbow, “my bet’s on Frances.”  
> She gasped dramatically. “I think I’d do a fantastic job, thank you very much.”  
> “My bet’s on Frances too,” Fred admitted.  
> -  
> Maya confirms that the dog is Sirius Black, Professor Lupin realizes Maya is annoyingly persistent, and oh my god it was the rat the whole time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I could have split up this chapter into two parts...but I just wanted to finish up year three so enjoy 17k words! I suggest getting a snack or something

Chapter 13

People were asking her questions, but she didn’t listen to them.

Instead, she watched the look of relief in Lupin’s eyes as she lied.

He knew she was lying, of course he did. It was likely everyone knew she was lying because she so obviously saw _something_. But for some reason she felt the need to lie. And it was the right choice because her professor who was so tense just a few moments ago, visibly relaxed and she saw swore she saw him mouth a quick thank you to her.

So, her choice was the right one. Even if Dumbledore was uncharacteristically frustrated and Trelawney was shouting “I told you so’s”.

“Shall I take her to the Hospital Wing, sir?” Lupin asked Dumbledore once things were calm again. “She’ll need the rest.”

“Very well,” Dumbledore waved them off.

Once the two of them were outside Dumbledore’s office, Maya felt the courage to speak.

“We’re not going to the Hospital Wing, right?”

“Nope,” he responded coolly as he led the way to his classroom.

Maya followed close behind him, eager to ask all the million questions in her head, but also in desperate need to sit down. The vision had taken a lot of her energy and she still felt a bit shaky about what she was about to see in her last vision if she hadn’t gotten out in time.

They got to Lupin’s classroom and Maya instantly took a seat and dropped her head on a desk. She heard Lupin drag a chair next to her, but the room felt like it was spinning, and she feared if she lifted it, she might puke…or pass out…or both.

“You should eat this,” she heard her Professor say and heard the sound of him sliding something over, “it’ll help.”

She kept her head down and groaned. “Think if I eat, I’ll puke…”

“You need energy, this will help,” he persisted. “If you vomit, I’ll clean it up.”

“You’re too kind,” Maya said sarcastically then poked her eyes up to look at what he was trying to get her to eat. It was chocolate. “Pretty sure my mom taught me not to take candy from strangers.”

Professor Lupin let out a soft chuckle at that. “Well for one thing, I’m your professor so I’m not really a stranger. And secondly, if I’m guessing correctly, you might know a lot more about me than most people here.”

That was convincing enough. She grabbed the chocolate and took a small bite. Instantly she felt warmth flood her body and the room slowly stopped spinning.

She lifted her head up properly. “The fuck is this? Some magic chocolate?”

“I’m supposed to tell you not to say words like that, so act like I just took house points away,” Lupin mock scolded her. “And no, it’s not magic, it’s just chocolate. An old friend taught me the power of chocolate a long time ago.”

“Was it Sirius?” Maya asked abruptly and regretted it when she saw Lupin. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. I just saw that you two were close, so I assumed—”

He smiled kindly at her. “It wasn’t him no, but we were friends. It was Harry’s mother actually, lovely woman she was.” His eyes were a bit distant, as if he was reminiscing in simpler times.

Maya felt admiration for her professor now that she knew the truth. He had lost so much so quickly, yet he walked around the castle and smiled at his students. He always offered help in classes to make sure everyone understood the lesson. How he was able to do it with all he’s been through was beyond Maya. And he was a werewolf too! Maya didn’t know much about them but based off what she researched on that assignment from Snape, she knew they didn’t have it easy in the Wizarding World.

“What else did you see?” He asked kindly, but Maya could see the fear he was trying to hide, and that was all it took. Suddenly any of the energy she had left that she was using to keep herself composed, was gone. Like a broken pipe about to burst, Maya erupted into tears.

“I’m s-so s-sorry!” she cried. “I-I was trying to f-find him, really! But I lost control and I saw _everything_!” She hid her face in her hands and was now sobbing hard. She was extremely embarrassed by her lack of composure, but simply could not stop. “I didn’t mean to find out about you! Honestly! A-And I won’t tell—” A warm hand squeezed her shoulder.

“Maya,” he said, but she kept her face in her hands, shaking with tears. “You don’t need to apologize, it’s not your fault—”

“But I lied!” She shouted, finally daring to look back at her professor. “To Dumbledore! I lied to him and I don’t know why!” She swallowed another sob before continuing. “I _know_ he was a bad person! I _know_ what he did, so I should want him arrested, for Harry at least.

“But when I saw him with Harry’s dad,” she looked in his eyes, “when I saw him with _you_ , I-I don’t know…I just couldn’t do it. I don’t know what Dumbledore had planned if I had told him where he was, but…I couldn’t do it,” she began to cry again. “And if Pumpkin really _is_ Sirius then—”

“Wait,” Lupin had stopped her, “did you name the dog…Pumpkin?”

Maya sniffled. “He liked pumpkin pasties…”

Professor Lupin, who had a sturdy hand on Maya’s shoulder just a moment ago, removed his hand to cover his mouth and started to shake. At first Maya thought she had accidentally made him cry and suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, but then she heard a snort. Her professor was sitting next to her, shaking with hysteric laughter.

“I can only imagine,” he wheezed, “how happy he was with that name.”

Maya stifled a laugh. “He wasn’t at first. Lucy and I had to argue with him until we won.”

“You named a convict after a _dessert_!” Lupin wheezed again and this time Maya actually laughed as well. He was right…she still didn’t want to believe that the dog was Sirius Black, but if he was…she had actually called him _Pumpkin_.

The two of them sat in the empty classroom, shaking with laughter. Any remaining tears from Maya’s previous cry became tears from laughter. It took a full ten minutes for them to finally calm down and catch their breaths. Once they both fully regained control of their wheezes, Lupin was the first to speak up.

“I don’t want you to feel bad for lying,” he told her. “A small part of me was hoping you wouldn’t catch sight of him at all. It’s a bit selfish of me I guess, but—”

“It’s not selfish,” she reassured him. “It’s just having morals and caring about what happens to others,” she cringed, “kinda gross in my opinion.”

“Emotions?”

“Yeah.”

“Agreed.”

Maya laughed again. She liked her professor already, but after all this she felt a small bond starting to form.

“You should head back to your common room,” Lupin said, finally standing up. “Or go look for Miss Higgins if you feel you have enough energy for it. You seemed worried about her before all this.”

Maya suddenly felt guilty. After everything that had just happened, this morning’s incident felt like a week ago. She stood up and decided to look for her.

“Thank you, Professor,” she thanked him honestly. “Especially for that chocolate, it was great.”

He smiled at her. “Anytime you need anything, come to me alright? My classroom is always open.”

-

Turns out, Lucy didn’t need Maya’s comfort at all. Someone else had already beaten her to it.

When she got to the Ravenclaw common room ready to knock, the door quickly opened, and she was surprised to see a blushing Lucy and a smiling Fred walking out. She quickly jumped out of view before either could notice her.

She watched as the two of them hugged and tried to listen in on their conversation.

“Sorry again,” said Fred, “I shouldn’t have been such an arse all year.”

Maya was honestly shocked to see Fred look so sincere. She’d only ever seen him serious once before and that was when Lucy was petrified. Almost always he was goofing around.

“You’re right,” Lucy had said, “but I’m willing to forgive you.”

Fred gave her one last hug and whispered something in Lucy’s ear that Maya couldn’t quite catch, but it made Lucy blush, then left. Fred walked past the corridor Maya was hiding.

“Hey, Frances,” he said casually as he continued to walk past her.

“’Sup,” she laughed and turned in the opposite direction to walk to her common room.

-

Maya should have been happy.

Lucy and Fred had properly made up and the group of four were finally back to normal. All week the four of them were determined to make up for lost time. More pranks, more late-night adventures, and more random feasts in the kitchens. It was great, but Maya’s mind was somewhere else.

She couldn’t shake those visions out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. She would be laughing at a joke one of the twins made and she’d think back on one of the visions she saw of Sirius and his friends laughing together. George would walk her to her common room at night and say good night with a soft smile, and she would think of the smile Sirius had given Lupin when he found out who he was. And the worst part was at night.

Every time she closed her eyes to go to bed, she would see the pain-stricken face Sirius wore in her last vision. She hated it. She would do wake up early, do homework all day, then stay up late with her friends, all so she could fall asleep without seeing his face, but it didn’t work.

She didn’t understand it. If Sirius had chosen to snitch on the Potter’s location, why did he look like he was in such an incredible amount of pain? Why did he have a look like he lost everything, if he had _chosen_ to do it?

There was a small part of her that wanted to finish the vision. She wanted to understand what was going through his head, but the thought of seeing the end result…she couldn’t.

So now whenever Maya was with her friends, she worried about that. And she worried about something else too. Sirius was close with Harry’s dad. Best friends. And from what she saw, he was close with Professor Lupin as well. So, what led him to betray them? And could she trust her own friends? She knew that was ridiculous, of course she could.

Lucy had been her friend for eight years and had stuck with her through everything. And maybe she didn’t know the twins as long, but she’d seen their concern for her when either her or Lucy were injured, and she knew they would never hurt either of them. There was a friend she _was_ worried about, but she hated herself for it.

Draco.

Over the past two years, Draco managed to make his way into the position of one of Maya’s best friends. She realized that she confused her feelings for him in the beginning of the year and learned later on that he’s more like a brother to her. But the chance of him betraying her…it didn’t seem all that impossible. He came from a family with a history of dark magic, so she’s not crazy to think so.

But what created a friendship between her and Draco was their capability to tell each other everything. They both usually struggled to open up, yet for some reason they easily shared with each other. Maya had told Draco things about her father that she hadn’t even told Lucy. In exchange Draco had told her everything as well. This included how he never respected his father but feared what would happen if he disobeyed him. Draco liked having a high authority, so if he stood up to his father and lost his family name, then…well then, he didn’t know what he’d do.

So Maya knew he didn’t like his family’s past with dark magic, but she also knew that if he was struck with a choice between her or potentially losing his title that it wouldn’t be a simple choice for him and she’d have to do nothing but hope.

She was currently sitting next to him in the Great Hall. It was the morning of yet another Hogsmeade trip and this time, Maya George Lucy and Fred were all finally going together. She was excited, but she still felt anxious.

“Why haven’t you been eating?” Draco’s voice came, interrupting her from her thoughts. “You’ve barely touched any food since you went to Dumbledore’s office, has he done something? Do I need to write a letter to my—”

“No,” she said quickly, “don’t write a letter to your father. Especially not about me, muggleborn remember?”

Draco frowned at her. “Are you alright? Your gross choice in friends have finally stopped their incessant arguing so what’s got you so upset?”

“I’m not upset,” she mumbled and turned her attention back to her still full plate.

“Maya,” he placed a hand on her wrist that was twirling her fork around. “What in the name of Merlin is going on?”

Maya, for the first time that week, looked into his eyes. Suddenly she felt so guilty and so stupid for ever thinking he would betray her. Here he was, asking if she was okay after noticing her skipping meals. Because they were best friends.

She threw her arms around him and wrapped him in a tight hug. Draco, who still hasn’t gotten used to Maya’s overly affectionate personality, hesitantly hugged her back.

“I’m okay,” she told him, “thank you.”

He gave her a proper squeeze before letting go. “Of course.”

Someone gagged behind them. “Euck! Get a room!” Pansy shrieked.

“Fuck off,” Maya flipped her off the same time as Draco told her to “Sod off!”

-

“Four butterbeers please,” Maya ordered politely before heading to the table her friends sat at.

Lucy and Fred were sat close together, leaving an open seat next to George which Maya took happily.

“Frances, do you think Lucy should join the quidditch team?” Fred asked her once she sat down.

Maya snorted. “I think you overestimate Lucy’s capability to balance. She’d fall off the broom within the first two minutes of the match.”

Lucy playfully shoved her shoulder. “Like you’re any better!”

“I’m not saying I am!” Maya laughed. “But I’m also thinking about that time you tried to go to the bathroom while using rollerblades, so I might be a liiittle bit better.”

“Hey!” Lucy cried, but still laughing. “You tried to do it too!”

“I don’t know what rollerblades are,” Fred said, “but I’d like to see you two attempting to fly on a broom.”

George laughed. “We could place bets on who falls off first,” he nudged Maya with his elbow, “my bet’s on Frances.”

She gasped dramatically. “I think I’d do a fantastic job, thank you very much.”

“My bet’s on Frances too,” Fred admitted.

“I’m leaving you guys for better friends,” she said grumpily and crossed her arms, though not really upset.

“To be fair,” said Lucy, “you get easily distracted and I’ve seen you walk into the walls quite often.” Fred and George both laughed at that.

“You’d see a bird and accidentally hit a tree!” George cackled. Maya wanted to protest, but it was honestly the truth, she did tend to get distracted. She started to laugh as well.

Their butterbeers came and Lucy and Maya managed to convince the twins to let them pay. The four of them joked around and drank happily from their cups, finally relaxed now that there was no drama in their group.

Lucy told Maya about the conversation she and Fred had once Maya admitted she had caught them saying goodbye. She had said that Fred felt guilty after her outburst and somehow managed to sneak into the Ravenclaw common room to apologize. Nothing too big happened, but Fred apologized for how he’d been behaving all year and they had a long conversation that Lucy didn’t fully go into detail about. Whatever it was, they seemed much happier than they’ve been all year and it was a huge relief.

Once they had finished their drinks they decided to walk around town for a bit. They had already gone to Zonko’s and Honeydukes of course, so now they could just walk around aimlessly. Fred and Lucy walked a bit ahead (hands very close, but Maya didn’t say anything about it in fear that they’d get scared) and George and Maya stayed a bit behind.

“You think Freddie will finally ask her out?” George had asked her quietly.

“I dunno,” Maya thought about it. “Her and Seamus did technically just break up, so he might want to wait.”

“He still hasn’t admitted to me or Lee that he fancies her, it’s driving us all mad.”

Maya snorted. “I bet he—” she saw a dark figure from the side of her eye. She stopped walking and quickly turned her head to see if she was seeing correctly, and there he was…behind a store…the dog. A hand was placed on her shoulder making her jump.

“What’s wrong?” George asked her, frowning with concern.

She looked away from the dog before he could catch sight of him. “Nothing,” she lied. “Hey look, I think I’m gonna stop at a store for a bit to grab some new Quills. You catch up with the others and I’ll meet up with you after.”

George shook his head. “That’s ridiculous, I’ll just go with you. It’s no big deal.”

“No!” she said too quickly. “I-I mean, I don’t want to stop you from having fun. Shouldn’t take too long I’ll see you in a bit.” She started to walk away before he could argue.

“How will you know where to find us?” He shouted from behind her.

“I’ll manage!” she called back then slipped away from his sight.

She walked slowly to the dog, not wanting to scare him away. It’d been a while since she saw him, and he probably wasn’t happy with her. And if this dog really _is_ Sirius Black, then being on his bad side might be a bit dangerous.

She stopped when she was about a foot away from him, still going unnoticed as the dog looked through the trash to find food. Maya suddenly felt guilty for not going to their usual spot to feed him. Convict or not, he didn’t deserve to starve.

“Hey,” she muttered quietly. The dog whipped his head up quickly and turned to look at her. Instantly he started growling at her, making her feel even worse. “Look, I’m sorry. I can explain what happened, but I can’t do it if you’re gonna growl at me.” The dog continued to growl and even got into a pouncing position.

Instinctively Maya reached into one of her bags from Honeydukes and took out a pumpkin pasty for him. She tossed it to him so he wouldn’t have to get close. He stopped his growling and very carefully made his way towards the dessert. He must’ve been starving because he didn’t even sniff to make sure it was safe and instead ate it quickly.

“I’m really sorry,” she said to him while he ate. “Something happened…a professor found out about me sneaking off to feed a stray, so I had to stay inside.” It wasn’t the full truth, but it wasn’t a lie either. She was too scared to bring up Lupin’s name if this dog was Sirius Black.

Once he had finished eating, he looked back at Maya and still had a guarded look. Maya slowly stepped forward and when he didn’t growl, she continued to approach him.

She stopped to kneel right in front of him and to look into his grey eyes. “I need to talk to you.” He stared at her in silence, so she continued. “I shouldn’t want to, but I want to help you somehow. I-I can try to do it, but I want your permission first.” She didn’t look away from his eyes and took a shaky breath. “I can get visions. I can see the someone’s past or future, and sometimes if I try hard enough, I can see the present. I-If you’re lost, I can try and see your past and find your home…or…well I have a theory…and if it’s right then…well then, we can see what happens then. But I want your permission.”

She could have sworn that there was fear in the dog’s eyes, but he stepped closer, showing her, she had his permission.

“O-Okay, it won’t hurt I promise,” she then raised her shaky hands towards his head. She held his head like she so often did with her dog at home when she was scared, then closed her eyes. A twist and a pull in her gut, she allowed it to push through her mind and slowly was bombarded with visions.

She was right. It was Sirius Black.

He was knocking on a door outside a beautiful large house. It was pouring rain and he looked the age of about sixteen. The door swung open and she saw the welcoming face of James Potter. Without either of them saying a word, James took Sirius in his arms and pulled him inside.

She watched as the Potter family took care of Sirius. She listened to him explain an awful story about his family and how they had officially disowned him.

Maya watched through several visions. Him and James playing quidditch. Him and Lupin relaxing together in the Gryffindor common room. And he and Peter Pettigrew playing chess.

She saw him holding a child. Maya wouldn’t have recognized him if she hadn’t known that Sirius was Harry’s godfather, but there he was holding a baby Harry with an expression of complete utter happiness. Lupin stood closely next to him at the scene.

These visions weren’t as intense as the last ones. It was almost like he had wanted her to see this, to prove something. She wanted to try and find the visions of him snitching on the Potter’s location because honestly, after all she had seen it just didn’t seem likely at all, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find it.

Eventually the images began to fade, and she felt herself come back to the present.

When she came back, she wanted to hug Sirius. She wanted to promise to help him if she could. She just wanted him to know he wasn’t alone. But instead, she looked into his eyes again, she was filled with terror.

She quickly removed her hands from his face and leaped backwards. Sirius had stepped forward to make sure she was okay, but she only stepped back further.

“No!” she shouted and cringed at how loud she was. “I-I’m sorry…I gotta go,” she apologized and started to run off, but not without leaving the bag of desserts for him.

Once she was a good distance away, she paused and tried to collect her breath. There was no way she would find the twins or Lucy now and it was getting late anyways. She needed to get back to the castle and talk to her professor.

-

She ran through the castle as quickly as she can. She wasn’t sure if Sirius had been following her, but surely, he wouldn’t be as stupid to come inside the castle in broad daylight.

As she ran through the corridors, she started thinking of what she would say. She knew that he would definitely be disappointed in her for being stupid enough to see Sirius again. She also knew that he’d be mad at her for potentially getting them in trouble because Sirius might come after her now that she knew about him and Dumbledore will find out she lied. But she knew she had to talk to Lupin, otherwise things might just get worse.

She bolted through Professor Lupin’s door.

“Merlin’s beard!” He gasped and stood up quickly.

She quickly closed the door so no one could overhear.

“Frances? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out in Hogsmeade?”

While she was running back to the school she was filled with adrenaline. But now that she was finally there with her professor, she was filled with exhaustion from the running, and she began to feel scared again.

“I-I’m sorry,” she began to speak, voice shaky as she didn’t know what to say.

He looked at her quizzically. “For what?”

She looked down, not wanting to make eye contact with him. The thought of seeing his disappointment terrified her. “You know how you said to stop seeing the dog?”

“You mean the dog that you knew was actually Sirius?”

Her breath hitched. “Well, I didn’t _really_ know. The vision made it suspicious, so I wasn’t really positive that—”

“Maya, I’m really hoping this doesn’t go where I think it’s going to go,” Lupin interrupted.

“I had to be sure!” She tried to defend herself, whether for her professor or even herself so she wouldn’t feel guilty. “What if it wasn’t? And I just let a dog starve!” She shook her head. “I _had_ to make sure,” she whispered, “but it was him.”

“He was in Hogsmeade?” Lupin asked, Maya nodded. “What did you do when you went up to him? Were you at least alone?”

“I was! Everyone I was with went on ahead without me, I swear!” She began to think back to what happened. “He was upset with me; he was mad that I left him so abruptly. And I honestly think he had a right to be—”

“Frances,” Lupin stopped her. “He’s not a real dog. He has done some terrible things—”

“But how do you know!” Maya shouted before she thought about what she was saying. “He let me see! I saw visions through him and…and well he looked like he cared a lot for everyone. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would—"

“Do you _honestly_ think I don’t know that!” Lupin began to raise his voice, which made Maya step back. “Everything _you_ saw through a vision, I _lived_ that!”

Maya watched several emotions go through her professor’s face. She felt guilty for not thinking about him, but she felt like she was right.

“Professor, I’m sorry. I know you guys were…close,” she had seen some things during her vision that had confirmed how much they cared for each other but didn’t dare say anything, “but don’t you think that because you were so close…because you knew him so well that _maybe_ just _maybe_ he didn’t do it?”

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he sat back down behind his desk. “I spent twelve years coming to terms with this.” He looked at her. “Of course, I tried to doubt it, but the truth is that some people are just…really good at keeping secrets.”

Maya wanted to try and convince him more. She wanted to tell him that she can try and get a vision of the day Sirius had supposedly killed Peter, so that they could try and get some sort of evidence to help him. But Professor Lupin looked so genuinely exhausted that she couldn’t bear to mention it again.

“I don’t think you should be allowed back in Hogsmeade this year,” he spoke up again. “Not until Black is caught. Maya, showing a death eater your skill in seeing someone’s past or future is extremely dangerous and I don’t doubt that he will use this against you if he can.”

Maya frowned, but she knew he was right. “Yes Professor, I’m really sorry—”

“Lupin!” an angry voice called, Snape’s voice, from the fireplace. “I want a word!”

Lupin sighed and got up towards the fire. “Come along, you can head back to your common room this way.”

Maya nodded and stepped in using the Floo. She stepped out in Snape’s office and was welcomed with shocked glances from both Snape and Harry.

“Miss Frances, what on earth do you think you are doing?” Snape asked her impatiently.

Lupin stepped through before she could answer. “She was with me, needed help with an essay. Figured she’d be able to get back to her common room faster this way anyways.” He looked at Harry then at Snape. “You called, Severus?”

Harry looked between Maya and Lupin with suspicion but didn’t say anything.

“I certainly did,” said Snape, his attention back to whatever he called Lupin for. His face was contorted with fury as he strode back to his desk. “I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this.”

Snape pointed at the parchment, which Maya immediately recognized as the map. Maya groaned and glared at Harry.

“You idiot,” she whispered so they couldn’t hear. “You had it for what? Two months and already got caught?”

“Shut up,” Harry whispered back through gritted teeth.

“Well?” said Snape.

Lupin continued to stare at the map. Maya watched as he began to do some quick thinking. Maya knew he had helped make the map, but he had to act as though he didn’t recognize it.

“ _Well?_ ” said Snape again. “This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?”

Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in the two kid’s direction, warned them not to interrupt.

“Full of Dark Magic?” he repeated mildly. “Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop—”

“Indeed?” said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. “You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don’t think it more likely that he got it _directly from the manufacturers_?”

Maya’s mouth dropped slightly, and she quickly closed it before anyone noticed. Things began to become clearer.

In her visions she had seen Harry’s dad, Sirius, Remus, and Peter often running around the castle pulling pranks. Some were just aimless pranks, but others had a target, and that target was almost always a young boy who Maya swore looked familiar. Now, it was clear as day that that boy had been none other than her Potions professor.

Maya stifled a laughed and tried to hold it in, but she had already gotten everyone’s attention.

“And _what_ is so funny, Frances?” Snape glared at her.

She tried to control her laughter. “N-nothing, sir,” she simply could not look at Snape or she’d laugh again at the thought of Sirius Black calling him _Snivellus_.

“Miss Frances,” Lupin had said with a knowing look in his eyes. “Maybe you should head back to your dormitory now. We can finish our… _lesson_ another time.”

Maya nodded gratefully, she didn’t think she would’ve been able to stand there and not give anything away. There was a real chance she’d call her professor Snivellus just to get a rise out of him.

“Alright, see ya later Harry,” she nodded at him and left.

She was still laughing a bit as she was walking back to her common room, but she remembered what Lupin had said before they were interrupted and began to feel nervous again.

Did he really think Sirius would be after her so he can get a vision?

After all she’d done for him, given him food, kept him warm, gave him some sort of company…it just didn’t seem likely. But Lupin had said he lived through it all, and she didn’t doubt that Lupin knew Sirius significantly more than she did, so maybe he was right.

She jumped in surprise when she got to her common room.

Standing in front of the door was a worried looking Lucy, a pacing George, and a completely relaxed Fred with the usual mischievous smile on his face, leaning against the wall.

“Maya!” Lucy shouted once she first caught sight of her. She ran up to hug her quickly, then let go and smacked her on the head. “Where the hell did you go?!”

Maya let out a small laugh. “Something came up, sorry guys. Didn’t mean to worry you.”

Fred stepped up from the wall. “See! I told you two she was fine!” Lucy frowned at him and George rolled his eyes.

“Where’d you go?” George finally asked.

“Um…” Maya quickly tried to come up with a lie that sounded believable. “I saw some parchment in a store and remembered I needed some! I didn’t want to make you guys go in of course, because it’s boring!” They all looked at her with blank expressions, she continued. “Anyways! In the store I saw a really nice…er quill? Yeah, a quill! And I thought to myself, ‘who might like this?’ and then it hit me! Our super cool Professor Lupin! So, I bought the quill and quickly gave it to him because it felt important.”

The three of them blinked at her, George looked almost offended at the thought that she thought he’d believe that. Fred was the first one to speak up.

“Maya, you should be an author,” he started cackling, “you’re brilliant at telling stories.” Maya grinned and stuck her tongue out at him.

“So, let me get this straight,” said Lucy. “You went into a store…saw a feathered pen…and felt the sudden urge to buy it for our professor? Even _if_ this story were real, which it so obviously isn’t, why wouldn’t you just tell us where you were going.”

Fred scoffed at her. “Were you even _listening,_ Higgins? She said that it was important!”

“Jeez, some friend you are,” Maya teased. “At least Freddie listens.”

“So how did our super cool Professor Lupin react when you gave him the quill?” George asked her, going along with the joke.

She beamed at him. “Oh, well, he obviously loved it. Told me I was his favorite student then gave a hundred points to Slytherin. Maybe you two should buy quills for your professors, they’d definitely like you a lot more.”

“So, you’re just not going to tell us where you went?” Lucy asked.

Fred smacked his hand to his forehead. “Oh, sweet Merlin, Higgins! She was buying a bloody quill!”

At that point everyone had started cackling. Lucy no longer cared about where she’d been and laughed as Fred continued to fake yell at her for not properly listening to the beautifully told story.

They stood there laughing and joking around for a while until finally a Slytherin prefect told them all to head to their own common rooms.

George gave her a look before heading back up with his brother.

“I’m keeping an eye on you, Frances,” he said, tone very serious.

Maya felt the strange flutter in her stomach appear again and she felt likely she couldn’t form any proper sentences. Instead of speaking she just nodded at him and went inside her common room.

-

George kept true to his word.

He stuck close to her side almost every moment he got a chance. The only time he’d leave her alone was when they had classes, when she would go to the bathroom, or at night to sleep in their common rooms. She had managed to sneak off to hang out with Draco in their room, but it wasn’t easy.

She wasn’t really bothered by his constant presence. In all honesty, she enjoyed it and got a weird warm tingly feeling when she thought about how he was worried enough about her to go through all this trouble. The only issue was that it was extremely difficult to try to talk to Professor Lupin.

Since their chat after the Hogsmeade trip, Maya had been trying to find a time where she could talk to him more to try and convince him to let her get a vision of Sirius looking for Peter Pettigrew. She knew he wouldn’t allow it, so she would need good evidence to get him on board. Which was another an issue with George keeping an eye on her.

She needed to somehow find as much information on James Potter and Sirius Black as she could without giving anything away. She didn’t want any of her friends to involve themselves, in fear that she’d be putting them in danger. She also hadn’t told any of her friends about Pumpkin actually being Sirius Black. Lucy often asked why they stopped seeing him and the twins kept saying they wanted to visit him again, but she’d lie to them saying he stopped showing up and no longer needed them. It felt like the safe and smart thing to do.

Easter Holidays finally passed, and they seemed to finally let it drop which Maya was grateful for. But of course, that was ruined the morning of the Quidditch finals when Harry had asked her a question while she was next to George at the Gryffindor table.

“Maya, you once mentioned seeing a dog, right?”

Maya choked on the piece of toast she was eating. “No?”

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. “But last Quidditch match Professor Lupin wanted to talk to you about it?”

Maya silently swore under her breath, she had forgotten Harry was there. “I saw a dog once, but Lupin told me to stay away since strays are dangerous. He hasn’t been around since.”

“I think I saw him last night,” Harry told her, and Maya felt the blood leave her body.

“Couldn’t be him, he wouldn’t be there that late,” she lied.

“If it is him, we should see him tonight!” George suggested excitedly.

“No!” Maya shouted too quickly causing other people to stare. “I-I just don’t think it’d be a good idea. Lupin said to stop seeing him so we probably shouldn’t.”

Fred scoffed. “When was the last time you listened to a teacher?”

“He’s dangerous,” Maya glared at Fred then looked back at Harry, “no one should go near him.” She got up to find Lucy. “Good luck during the match.”

June was now approaching and Maya became very grateful for the twins being in their fifth year. The two of them had their OWLS to prepare for and didn’t ask as many questions about Pumpkin as they normally would have.

Maya and Lucy had their own finals to prepare for as well, so while the twins “studied” for their exams, Maya and Lucy did so as well.

Maya didn’t feel particularly nervous about them, except for Potions which she usually sucked at. In the end though, it wasn’t too bad. The most exciting exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts which was a complex obstacle course. Maya and Lucy were proud of themselves for accomplishing with full marks and celebrated that night with a secret trip to the kitchens, just girls.

The next day was the Divination final and Trelawney had told Maya that she would take it earlier than the others. Her test was to share a vision with Trelawney, and she managed to just give her a small glimpse before Maya felt exhausted, but it was enough for a passing grade. Lucy thought it was unfair she had to take the test on her own and groaned about it until she had left with Ron and Harry to leave.

Now, while Lucy was taking the exam, Maya sat in the library with George who was either studying for the OWLS or reading a Zonko’s magazine. Maya was using a book to cover what she was really reading, which was a copy of the Daily Prophet from November 2nd, 1981 that Draco had found for her. Fred was out with Lee, dropping dungbombs where first years were taking exams, so it was just her and George.

She read and reread the lines from witnesses talking about Pettigrew’s death. It just didn’t make sense. How could there only be a finger left? What spell left just a finger?

She looked up at George who sat across from her reading his book and considered asking him. He might know more than her since he grew up around magic, but it might seem a bit strange asking him about Peter Pettigrew. They hadn’t discussed anything about him since Maya got that vision earlier in the year. But the year was coming to an end and she worried what would happen if she didn’t figure something out soon enough.

She sighed and watched George more as she continued to argue with herself whether or not it was worth asking him. He looked content with his head in his hand and read the book. She couldn’t ask him, he looked calm and asking him would only add more stress.

George looked up from his book and noticed her staring.

“Alright, Frances?”

Maya’s cheeks turned warm and she looked back down. “Y-Yeah, sorry got distracted.”

“Shocked it took you this long to get distracted,” he leaned closer across the table, “you bored reading about Pettigrew yet?”

Maya sputtered and looked at her poorly hidden copy of the Prophet. “Was it that obvious?”

George laughed at her. “No, but you’ve been on the same page of that book for so long, so I snuck a glance earlier. Why are you reading about him anyways?”

She sighed. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“How could the only thing remaining be a finger? Where did the rest of him go?”

“He just blew up, I dunno,” George answered her. “Why are you so curious all of a sudden? I thought we were over Pettigrew?”

She ignored his question. “But if he blew up, why wasn’t there any other body parts left around! As morbid as it is, there _should’ve_ been a head around there somewhere!”

“It’s just magic. Do you really have to question it?” George replied, which Maya frowned at. “I don’t get why you’re so concerned; I mean the guys dead. Is a finger not enough evidence?”

Maya was no longer listening and instead caught her attention on something else. A few aisles away was the same table from her vision where Sirius James and Peter worked together to become animagi. She suddenly remembered a question Pettigrew had asked.

‘ _What if I’m something really small though?’_

Small…like a rat. Like that time, she found a rat in The Room of Choices when the map said Pettigrew had been there.

“Holy fuck,” she gasped and looked at George who was already looking at her with concern. “George, when did you guys get Scabbers?”

“What?!” he asked confused.

“George! When did you and your family get Scabbers?” she asked a little too loudly, earning an angry shush from Madam Pince.

“I don’t know,” George said, “maybe twelve years ago? Mum found him in the garden. Why?”

“Holy fucking shit,” she said and quickly packed her things, desperate to get to Lupin. George grabbed her arm to stop her from packing.

“What the bloody hell is going on?” he whispered frustratedly.

“I gotta go, I’ll see you later tonight,” she said and pulled her arm away, but he only grabbed it again.

“No, last time you said that we lost you for the rest of the day,” he said, eyes boring into hers. “I said I’m keeping an eye on you, so I’m going with you.”

She sighed, not wanting to deal with this but at this point it’d be easier not to argue with him. She grabbed his hand and began pacing quickly.

“Fine, but we’re going now,” she marched out of the library in the direction of Lupin’s classroom, hand being held firmly in George’s, “and no questions.”

George didn’t like the no question rule. As they ran through the corridors hand in hand, he had asked several times “Where the fuck are we going?” but Maya never answered and continued to drag him.

They busted into Lupin’s classroom and abruptly disturbed him while he graded exams. He looked up at the two with bewilderment.

“Maya?” he looked at George. “Mr. Weasley? Is everything alright?”

Maya shut the door quickly and walked over to his desk where he was sitting, still gripping tightly to George’s hand.

“George has a rat,” she announced as if that suddenly made perfect sense.

“Um congratulations?” Lupin raised an eyebrow at her.

“No, Professor,” she looked at him trying to explain. “He has a rat.”

“Can I object?” George spoke suddenly. “I’m glad you are finally giving Scabbers some attention, but I’d like to clarify that we _had_ a rat. Ron said a while ago he’d gone missing, he reckons Crookshanks ate him.”

“Why are you telling me about this rat?” Lupin asked.

“I have absolutely no clue,” George answered honestly. “I think Maya’s hit her head or something, she’s gone a bit looney.”

Maya glared at him then looked back at her professor. “Think about it, Professor. Pettigrew’s animagus, he was a rat!”

“So, you believe that this rat,” he looked at George, “that had been eaten by a cat,” looked back at Maya, “is Peter Pettigrew? The man who died twelve years ago?”

Maya saw as the realization came to George when Professor Lupin said he’d died twelve years ago. He looked at Maya with a mix of shock and pure amazement at the fact that she was able to put the two together.

“Mum found him twelve years ago, he’s been with us since,” George said.

Lupin’s eyes widened but shook his head, not wanting to believe it. “It’s an interesting theory, but there’s no proof that—”

“But there is!” Maya interrupted. “Earlier this year, before we gave the map to Harry—yes, I know that parchment from Snape’s office is a map—me, Lucy, George, and Fred went for a search for Pettigrew. We noticed his name had been on this map for a while, and always around Ron. Anyways, when searching for him we found his name in the room where you—” she paused and realized she had almost given away Lupin’s secret to George. “Where um…he and his friends used to hang out in. But when I went in, the only one there was Scabbers!”

Lupin looked at her with pure shock. “But that could just have been a coincidence,” he said, still not sure if he could let himself believe it.

Maya understood why it was so hard for him to believe. After twelve years he had to conclude that his best friend had betrayed him, he couldn’t allow himself to hope that he was wrong. It felt wrong to come up with theories when in the end, all of his friends were dead. And now Maya was giving him strong evidence that there’s a small chance that Sirius was innocent, and it seemed too good to be true.

Maya finally dropped George’s hand and walked closer to her professor.

“Professor,” she said softly. “I’ve seen him. That day when he supposedly killed Pettigrew. I got a small vision of it and I saw his face. There was pain written all over it. He didn’t look like someone who had killed his best friends, but someone who had lost the world and had no control over it.”

“So you don’t think he did it?” is all he asked.

“No,” she replied, “and I don’t think you do either.”

George cleared his throat to remind them he was still there. “Hey guys! I don’t know if you remembered, but I’m still here! And I’m going to be honest, I am _very_ confused.”

Maya looked at him with a look that could kill, but Lupin began to chuckle which caught her off guard.

“Don’t be angry with him, Maya” her professor laughed. “He’s only here because you keep frightening him with your disappearances.”

“But—”

“It’s not his fault he’s confused,” he told her sternly.

“Well do you want to tell him about how Sirius Black was the dog I let him play with and how I could have gotten him killed or should I?” she asked frustratedly.

“THE DOG WAS SIRIUS BLACK?” George hollered.

Both Maya and Lupin shushed him quickly before getting anyone else’s attention. Once George had calmed down, everyone sat down, and Maya and Lupin began to explain to him what was going on. Maya told him about Dumbledore calling her to his office and about the visions she got. Lupin explained why his friends decided to secretly become animagi. Then Maya finished off with the visions she got from Sirius and her most recent theory about Scabbers being Peter Pettigrew. George sat there in silence for a few minutes before he finally got the courage to speak.

“So you didn’t get Lupin a quill that day in Hogsmeade?” he asked Maya.

She snorted. “No, I’m sorry that story was a lie.”

George nodded and looked at Lupin. “And you’re…you’re a werewolf?” Lupin nodded and said nothing else. “Alright, that’s cool. So, we think Black is innocent then?”

Lupin spoke before Maya could. “I still don’t think we have enough evidence for that,” he said honestly.

“What do you mean? I just told you—”

“He’s right,” George said quickly before Maya could get angry. “I may believe what you’re saying, but we have no actual proof to show or explain to the ministry if you want to prove his innocence.”

They sat in silence, all stumped to think of a solution. Maya looked at the book she had in the library when an idea came to her. She took out the copy of the prophet and dropped it on Lupin’s desk.

“I can try and finish the vision,” she theorized. “I can watch whether or not Sirius really does kill Pettigrew.”

“But we can’t show your vision to the ministry,” George said looking apologetic.

“I can try to. I’ve gotten better at sharing visions. If I can just talk to the minister of magic and—”

“Maya, that’s too dangerous,” Lupin stopped her. “It’ll not only leave you dangerously exhausted, but there’s also a chance you would watch someone die. I can’t let you see something like that.”

“But I _know_ Peter didn’t actually die!” she argued. “And I’m willing to try if it means helping Sirius!” Both Lupin and George looked at each other, having a silent discussion that Maya knew couldn’t be good. “Listen! When I got visions from Sirius directly, not only did I see his life, but I could feel it. And he felt real and pure love when he was with James, and when he was with you! But after that, all I felt was his pain. He needs help! I know he does, and it’s taken me too long to figure this out!”

The two of them looked at her with shock and admiration from her outburst.

“Okay,” Lupin spoke first. “But try sharing the vision with me first. I don’t want your first try to be with the ministry…and I would also like to see it as well.”

“Really?!” Maya asked, surprised. Lupin nodded.

“I want to see it too,” George said suddenly, and slight blush formed on his cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re going to see, but I don’t want you to be alone.”

Maya smiled at him gratefully. She stood up to get closer to the paper.

“Okay, if we’re going to do this then um…you’re gonna need to hold my hand,” she looked at George and blushed slightly remembering how she held his hand all the way from the library to Lupin’s class. “Or just holding my shoulder, whatever’s easiest.”

Lupin placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.

“If you get scared in there, we can leave. Don’t feel like you have to do anything,” he said to her. Maya nodded and smiled.

George grabbed hold of her hand which shocked Maya. She looked at him to make sure he was sure, but he just smiled at her comfortingly and she gently squeezed his hand before closing her eyes and placing her free hand on the Daily Prophet.

It took longer than it would if it were just her. She felt the tug of the vision threatening to come, but she had to make sure she felt the presence of George and Lupin first. She wasn’t sure how long it took, but eventually she felt two more people and she let the vision envelop them.

It was different. It was like the three of them were actually standing in the vision and were a part of it. No one saw them, which confirmed they weren’t actually there, but it felt more real than normal. Everyone’s heads turned when they heart a shout.

“Pettigrew!”

Sirius was running through a crowd of muggles, face filled with an intense amount of pain just the way Maya remembered. There were tears on his face, but she doesn’t think he even noticed. He shoved several muggles trying to get to Peter.

“That’s him,” Lupin had whispered to them and pointed to a blonde man.

It was Peter Pettigrew, running ahead of Sirius, trying desperately to get free of him. He looked different from Maya’s other visions of him. He looked tired, paler, and the circles under his eyes shown that he had most certainly been stressed.

“How could you!” Sirius shouted again, his voice cracking slightly.

Maya was terrified. She knew with full confidence that Sirius was innocent, but even so, this scene was terrifying. She felt George squeeze her hand and she relaxed a bit. She was grateful George was there.

Sirius had backed Peter up to a brick wall. There was no way a normal person could escape, but Maya knew he was an animagus, so it wasn’t impossible.

Sirius had his fist on Peter’s chest, keeping him in place. His other hand had his wand pointed to Peter, just slightly poking his throat.

“It was James, Wormtail!” he shouted. “JAMES!”

“L-let me explain—”

“I TRUSTED YOU!” he shouted again, not giving Pettigrew a moment to speak. “JAMES TRUSTED YOU! LILY!”

“The Dark Lord, h-he’s very strong!” Pettigrew whimpered slightly.

“THEN YOU DIE FOR THEM!” Sirius roared and shoved Pettigrew harder against the wall.

The two were silent. They stared at each other as they both slowly came to terms with what life would be like from now on.

“I-I could kill you,” Sirius said with an unreadable expression. “I could do it just like you killed them.” He lowered his wand. “But I wouldn’t. Because I’m better than you,” his voice was filled with so much emotion, but Maya knew what he was saying was what he truly believed.

There was a moment. A moment where Sirius looked distracted, whether by the power of his own words, or whether he was thinking of something…or someone. But in that small moment where he was distracted, he let his grip on Pettigrew’s chest lessen slightly. And that was all Pettigrew needed to shove him off.

Pettigrew was free and he released one last shout before he left, so witnesses can twist the story.

“YOU KILLED THEM SIRIUS BLACK! AND NOW IT’S MY TURN. BECAUSE YOU’RE A MADMAN!”

He pointed his wand at the ground behind his back, finger at the tip of his wand, and released an explosion.

It was hard to see through the smoke and rubble, but Maya made sure to focus so she wouldn’t miss watching Pettigrew transfigure into a small rodent, identical to Scabbers.

There were shouts all over, men in robes running to the scene. There was a new fear in Sirius’s eyes and Maya wanted to reach out and help him, but that was impossible.

“Frances,” George’s voice said suddenly. “We should go, we’ve seen enough.”

Maya knew he was right. She felt the exhaustion coming to her faster and faster. She quickly tried to get back to the present. She released the tugging feeling and tried grounding them all back to Lupin’s classroom.

Maya’s eyes snapped open quickly and fell into George’s chest abruptly. She thinks they were back but couldn’t be sure.

“Sit her down,” she heard Lupin’s voice say.

She felt George lead her to a chair, but her vision was blurry and she couldn’t really make everything out.

“Eat this,” Lupin’s voice returned, and she could just make out him handing her a piece of chocolate. She took it gratefully and slowly ate it, feeling some of her energy come back. Lupin and George were discussing something, but she couldn’t focus.

“Close your eyes for a bit, Frances,” Lupin said calmly. “You need rest.”

She dropped her head on the desk without a thought.

-

By the time she woke up again the sun had begun to set.

George was sat next to her talking quietly to Professor Lupin. She slowly raised her head and instantly regretted it when the room began to spin again.

“Rise and shine!” George grinned at her and she groaned at his enthusiastic energy.

“I have a potion for you,” Lupin said, handing her a small bottle. “A quick pepper-up potion to help with the dizziness.” Maya grabbed it and chugged it gratefully.

“How long was I out?” she asked when the room spun slightly less.

“An hour or so,” Lupin responded.

“Missed dinner,” George said.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “Didn’t mean to make you guys miss dinner.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Lupin waved his hand. “Are you feeling any better?”

She nodded. “Better enough to start looking for Pettigrew.”

Lupin laughed at her. “As much as I admire your determination, I think you’ve handled enough for today.”

“But—”

To her surprise, George had cut her off. “But we just confirmed that the ministry messed up! We have to find him! If not, then Maya has to go to the ministry to share the vision again and it had almost killed her! She can’t do it again!”

“And I agree with you!” Lupin said, waving his arms up in a surrender. “But Maya needs her rest. She can’t go out on a wild goose chase at the moment.”

“I’m rested!” Maya protested. “I have energy! I’m okay!”

Lupin looked at the two students as they desperately tried to convince him.

“You two won’t give up, will you?”

Both of them grinned. “Nope!”

He sighed and brought the map to the desk they were sitting at. They watched as the images began to appear and as names moved around the piece of parchment. They all looked carefully to search for Pettigrew’s name and after ten minutes, Maya was just about ready to admit defeat when George pointed something out.

“Um…I found him,” he said nervously.

“Where?!” Lupin and Maya asked frantically.

George pointed to a spot near the Whomping Willow, but a little bit further past.

“Here, but he’s not alone.”

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lucy, and Sirius Black were all in the same room as Peter Pettigrew.

“You two stay here,” Lupin ordered and stood up. “I have to go.”

Maya stood up quickly and she fought the urge to sit back down as another wave of dizziness came. “No! I’m coming with you!”

He shook his head. “Maya, you’ve done enough. You’re barely in enough shape to walk to your common room. You two are staying here.”

George stood up and wrapped a shoulder around Maya to help keep her standing straight. “No, we’re not. I’ll keep her up, let’s go.”

The fluttering feeling in Maya’s stomach had never felt so strong as he stood up for her. She stared at him with amazement and honestly thought she could kiss him in that moment, but quickly wiped the thought away because friends don’t do that. Her legs felt a bit wobbly, but not because she was still tired, but because George held her so close that she became so suddenly aware of him and his strength.

“You two are annoyingly persistent,” Lupin sighed, “let’s go.”

They headed out together, Lupin in the lead and George helping a stumbling Maya behind.

-

They ran as quickly as they could, but it wasn’t easy. Maya really was still exhausted and had leaned most of her weight onto George which slowed them down. They paused once they got to the Whomping Willow.

“How are we going to—” George began to ask but Lupin already poked a knot with a long branch and the tree stopped moving. “Oh, okay, like that I guess.”

They continued to run. The dark tunnel they were walking through was creepier than the dungeons at Hogwarts. It was eerie and had a strange smell to it. It was a mix of a canine smell with a hint of what Maya could only guess to be dried blood. The thought made her shiver in fear and she shuffled a bit closer to George for a sense of comfort. He seemed just as frightened because he tightened his grip on her.

The tunnel went on for a bit longer, but eventually Lupin led them to a room. The smell was significantly stronger in the room.

Inside the walls were boarded up, windows covered, and the furniture was thrown and smashed all around. There were scratch marks all over the walls and floor and even more terrifying, blood stains.

It suddenly dawned on Maya and George as to how Lupin knew how to get passed the Whomping Willow.

Before either of them could say anything the voice of Hermione called from above them.

“WE’RE UP HERE! WE’RE UP HERE – SIRIUS BLACK – QUICK!”

They ran up quickly and opened the door with a burst. Everyone had gone silent as they took in their surroundings. Lucy was standing next to Ron who was lying on the floor, trying to help him up, Hermione cowered next to the door, and Harry with his wand pointed aggressively at Black’s throat. Lupin had his wand ready and pointed it at Harry.

“ _Expelliarmus!”_ he shouted, Harry’s wand along with the two Hermione was holding and Lucy’s.

Everyone stared at Lupin, Maya, and George with shock.

Lucy only cared about Maya though. “Maya? What the hell are you doing here? Did you know Pumpkin was Sirius?!”

“Yeah, I had a hunch,” she responded sarcastically. “What are _you_ doing here?”

Lucy shrugged casually as if nothing strange was going on. “I thought it’d be a good idea to hang out with Harry and help Hagrid out during Buckbeak’s trial. Turns out hanging out with Harry always leads to danger. Who knew?”

“George?” Ron asked from the floor.

George waved at his brother. “Hi Ronnikins! How’s it going?”

Lupin ignored the kids and had his entire focus on Sirius. “Where is he?” He asked him with suppressed emotion.

For the first time Maya looked at Black. He looked nothing like she’d seen in her visions. Her visions showed a young, healthy, happier man. What she saw was heartbreaking. He was on the ground, unhealthily thin, skin pale, bruises, and had a cat sprawled on his chest.

His face was expressionless as her stared at Lupin and Maya could feel the tension in the air. For a few seconds, he didn’t move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron.

Ron looked terrified on the ground and held tightly to Scabbers.

Lupin looked from Ron then back to Sirius, eyes wide as Maya’s theory about Scabbers was confirmed right in front of him.

“ _He_ was the one…you switched…without telling me?”

Sirius’s sunken gaze never left Lupin’s face as he nodded.

“Professor,” Harry interrupted loudly, “what’s going on -- ?”

But Harry never finished the question, he was too shocked as he watched Lupin lower his wand from Sirius. The professor walked to Black’s side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black.

Maya and George smiled at the sight of the two friends finally reuniting while everyone else in the room watched with shock and a feeling of betrayal.

“I DON’T BELIEVE IT!” Hermione screamed.

Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. “You – You –”

“Hermione –”

“— you and him!”

“Hermione, calm down –”

“I didn’t tell anyone!” Hermione shrieked. “I’ve been covering up for you –”

“Hermione, listen to me, please!” Lupin shouted. “I can explain –”

Maya had her attention on Harry who she’d never seen look so angry in her life. He was visibly shaking with anger.

“I trusted you,” he shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering out of control, “and all the time you’ve been his friend!” Then he turned to Maya who was still standing by the door and being held up by George. “And you! You knew this whole time didn’t you! Some bullshit friend you were! I thought you actually _understood_!” Maya stared at him in shock. “That trip to Hogsmeade! You were leading me to _him_ weren’t you!”

She couldn’t speak. Too afraid to open her mouth. That familiar anger pooled up inside and she felt it threaten to come out, aggressively. If she tried to move, she might lose control and hurt him which would only make things worse. The only thing holding her back was the feeling of hurt by Harry’s accusation. How could he think she’d do that?

“You’re wrong,” said Lupin. “Maya had no idea, and she wouldn’t lead you into any sort of danger. And I haven’t been Sirius’s friend, but I am now – Let me explain…”

“NO!” Hermione screamed. “Harry, don’t trust him, he’s been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too – _he’s a werewolf!_ ”

There was a ringing silence. Everyone’s eyes were on Lupin, except for Lucy’s and George’s which were fixatedly on Maya.

George felt her shaking with anger. How _dare_ Hermione assume Lupin would want Harry dead just because he was a werewolf? This was the same man who had comforted her after she got scared during her exam. She wanted to hex her, jinx her, _curse_ her.

George had held her arms tightly, trying to discreetly hold her arms down as Lucy strode towards the two of them to help. No one had noticed, all too busy focusing on Lupin.

“Maya,” Lucy whispered, “your eyes. They’re black again. You need to calm down.”

She heard the voices of Lupin and Hermione arguing, but couldn’t focus on any of the words.

She tried closing her eyes to relax, to get control again. But she was still drained from sharing her vision earlier and it was difficult. Lucy and George were holding each of her hands and she tried to focus on the feeling. It helped keep her grounded.

It took a while, but she finally felt her breath evening out and she felt brave enough to open her eyes again. The first thing she saw was Sirius eyeing her curiously and she quickly looked away in fear of her eyes still not being the right color.

Lupin had given everyone their wands back and was in the middle of explaining how they found them in the shack with Sirius and another.

“We watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow –”

“One of us!” Ron said angrily.

“No, Ron,” said Lupin. “Two of you.”

He had stopped his pacing his eyes moving over Ron.

“Do you think I could have a look at the rat?” he said evenly.

“What?” said Ron. “What’s Scabbers got to do with it?”

“Oi just give it to him Ron,” George urged. “You never cared for him anyways, always called him fat and annoying.”

From the wall Sirius made a strangled laughing noise.

“Thank you for that, Mr. Weasley,” said Lupin dryly and looked back at Ron. “Could I see him, please?”

Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Black’s leg and made a soft hissing noise.

Lupin moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Scabbers.

“What?” Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, looking scared. “What’s my rat got to do with anything?”

“That’s not a rat,” croaked Sirius Black suddenly.

“What d’you mean – of course he’s a rat –”

“No, he’s not,” said Lupin quietly. “He’s a wizard.”

“An animagus,” said Black, “by the name of Peter Pettigrew.”

Unsurprisingly it took a few seconds for the absurdity of this statement to sink in. Then Ron voiced what most of them were thinking.

“You’re both mental.”

“Ridiculous!” said Hermione faintly.

“I dunno,” said Lucy, “I believe them.” She looked at Maya then at everyone else. “Is it that hard to believe? Our first year You-Know-Who was chilling on the back of our professor’s head. Last year there was a giant snake thing roaming around the school. Why draw the line at Ron’s rat being a dead guy?”

Maya stared at her. “Hey, Luce?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Lucy smiled at her. “I know.”

Harry was still angry, however. “Peter Pettigrew’s _dead_!” he said. “ _He_ killed him twelve years ago!” He pointed at Black, whose face was twitching convulsively.

“I meant to,” he growled, yellow teeth bared which reminded Maya of his animagus form, “but little Peter got the better of me…not this time, though!”

And Crookshanks was thrown to the floor as Black lunged at Scabbers; Ron yelled with pain as Black’s weight fell on his broken leg.

“Sirius, NO!” Lupin yelled, launching himself forwards and dragging Black away from Ron again. “WAIT! You can’t do it just like that – they need to understand – we’ve got to explain –”

“We can explain afterwards!” snarled Black, trying to throw Lupin off. One hand was still clawing the air as it tried to reach Scabbers, who was squealing like a piglet, scratching Ron’s face and neck as he tried to escape.

“They’ve – got – a – right – to – know – everything!” Lupin panted, still trying to restrain Black. “Ron’s kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don’t understand! And Harry – you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!”

Black stopped struggling, though his hollowed eyes were still fixed on Scabbers, who was clamped tightly under Ron’s bitten, scratched, and bleeding hands.

“All right, then” Black said without taking his eyes off the rat. “Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for…”

Maya rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t dramatic or anything.” Black stared at her blankly. She wasn’t sure if she should be scared of him. She still wanted to help him, and she felt bad for leaving him that day in Hogsmeade, but really, he wasn’t making explaining the truth that easy.

“Quit staring at me,” she threatened, the previous anger still not completely gone. “What are you gonna do? Bark at me?”

Sirius looked at her tie for a moment, not saying anything, then turned his attention back to Lupin and Scabbers.

“You’re nutters, both of you,” said Ron shakily, looking round at Harry and Hermione for support. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m off.”

He tried to heave himself up on his good leg, but Lupin raised his wand again, pointing it at Scabbers.

“You’re going to hear me out, Ron,” he said quietly. “Just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen.”

“HE’S NOT PETER, HE’S SCABBERS!” Ron yelled, trying to force the rat back into his front pocket, but Scabbers was fighting too hard. “George, are you just gonna stand there and not help your brother!” He shouted as he was losing his balance and was caught by Harry.

George looked from him to Maya then shrugged. “If I let go of Frances there’s a high chance she’ll collapse. You’ll be fine, you’re strong…enough…”

What he said was true. She was being held up by not only George, but Lucy as well now and if either of them moved she’d probably fall to the ground and take a giant nap.

“There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die,” Harry said. “A whole street full of them...”

“They didn’t see what they thought they saw!” said Black savagely, still watching Scabbers struggling in Ron’s hands.

“Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter,” said Lupin, nodding. “I believed it myself — until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder’s map never lies... Peter’s alive. Ron’s holding him, Harry.”

Maya knew that Ron and Harry still hadn’t believed them. She watched as the two best friends had a silent conversation with each other. She had to try and convince them.

“Harry,” she said getting his attention. “I get you’re angry with me right now and might not trust me, but they’re telling the truth. I saw it all, I got visions and I even saw your dad. You _have_ to give them a chance to explain, your dad would have wanted you to.”

Harry gave her a look that she couldn’t quite read, but Hermione spoke before he could say anything back to her.

“But Professor Lupin... Scabbers can’t be Pettigrew... it just can’t be true, you know it can’t...”

“Why can’t it be true?” Lupin said calmly, as though they were in class, and Hermione had simply spotted a problem in an experiment with Grindylows.

“Because... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework — the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there’s a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things... and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew’s name wasn’t on the list.”

“Christ, Hermione,” Lucy said. “I’m a Ravenclaw and even I don’t put that much effort into my homework.”

Lupin laughed at Hermione and Lucy. “Right again, Hermione!” he said. “But the Ministry never knew that here used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts.”

“If you’re going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus,” said Black, who was still watching Scabbers’s every desperate move. “I’ve waited twelve years, I’m not going to wait much longer.”

“All right... but you’ll need to help me, Sirius,” said Lupin, “I only know how it began...” Lupin broke off. There had been a loud creak behind him. The bedroom door had opened of its own accord. All eight of them stared at it. Then Lupin strode toward it and looked out into the landing.

“No one there...”

“That’s spooky,” Maya snickered to Lucy and George.

“This place is haunted!” said Ron.

“It’s not,” said Lupin, still looking at the door in a puzzled way. “The Shrieking Shack was never haunted... The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me.”

He pushed his graying hair out of his eyes, thought for a moment then said, “That’s where all of this starts — with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn’t been bitter... and if I hadn’t been so foolhardy...”

He looked sober and tired. Ron started to interrupt, but Hermione, said, “Shh!” She was watching Lupin very intently.

Lupin began to explain everything. Starting from when he first became a Werewolf to how his friends found out. Some of the information was new to Maya who already knew a lot thanks to her visions. But she hadn’t known about Snape’s knowledge of Lupin’s lycanthropy. She supposed it’s not too surprising due to his random lesson on werewolves, but it still caught her off guard.

She also hadn’t known about Sirius’s supposed prank on Snape that almost led to Snape’s death and the arrest of Lupin.

By the end only Harry had been able to ask a question.

“So that’s why Snape doesn’t like you,” said Harry slowly, “because he thought you were in on the joke?”

“That’s right,” sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin.

Severus Snape was pulling off Harry’s invisibility cloak and had his wand pointed directly at Lupin.

“Ugh, gross,” Maya muttered at Snape with disgust.

“Who invited grease ball to the party?” George gagged, Maya and Lucy snickered.

No one else thought George’s joke as they were too shocked by Snape’s sudden appearance.

Hermione screamed. Black leapt to his feet. Harry felt as though he’d received a huge electric shock.

“I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow,” said Snape, throwing the cloak aside, careful to keep this wand pointing directly at Lupin’s chest. “Very useful, Potter, I thank you...”

Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph. “You’re wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?” he said, his eyes glittering. “I’ve just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did... lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight.”

“Severus —” Lupin began, but Snape overrode him.

“I’ve told the headmaster again and again that you’re helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here’s the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout —”

“Severus, you’re making a mistake,” said Lupin urgently. “You haven’t heard everything — I can explain — Sirius is not here to kill Harry —”

“Two more for Azkaban tonight,” said Snape, his eyes now gleaming fanatically. “I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this... He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin... a tame werewolf —”

“You fool,” said Lupin softly. “Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?”

BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape’s wand and twisted themselves around Lupin’s mouth, wrists, and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started toward Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black’s eyes.

“Give me a reason,” he whispered. “Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will.”

Black stopped dead. It would have been impossible to say which face showed more hatred.

The anger came back, but this time with a surge of protection as well. She pulled herself out of George and Lucy’s grip, exhaustion and wobbly legs be damned and stood between Snape and Sirius, Snape’s wand now pointed at both her and Black.

“Maya!” George shouted.

“Bloody mental!” Ron hollered.

Snape looked down at her with his chin pointed upwards, with a grotesque sneer on his face. “Miss Frances, what are you doing?”

She hit him with a dangerous look. “You hurt him, you hurt me,” she threatened, “and if you hurt a student you’re fired. So I suggest you back away and let them continue to tell the truth.”

He looked at her with an intense hatred and she noticed him losing a bit of control as red sparks flew out the tip of his wand.

“Foolish girl,” he sneered. “Falling for their lies. I knew you were helpless from your marks in my class, but I had at least some hope that your friendship with Malfoy would rub off on you. You’ve been nothing but a shame and a disgrace to the Slytherin house for the past three years.”

She jumped when a voice behind her spoke.

“I think the only one considered a shame and disgrace would be you, Severus,” Black snarled. “I’ve known my fair share of Slytherin’s, and she seems to be the only one tolerable.”

“Don’t act so confident, _Black_ ,” Snape spat his name and Maya backed up further, desperately trying not to get spat on. “All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They’ll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay... I —”

What little color there was in Black’s face left it.

“You — you’ve got to hear me out,” he croaked. “The rat — look at the rat —”

But there was a mad glint in Snape’s eyes that Maya had never seen before. He seemed beyond reason.

“Come on, all of you,” he said. He clicked his fingers, and the ends of the cords that bound Lupin flew to his hands. “I’ll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the Dementors will have a kiss for him too — ”

But Harry, persistent as ever, crossed the room in three strides and blocked the door.

“Get out of the way, Potter, you’re in enough trouble already,” snarled Snape. “If I hadn’t been here to save your skin —”

“Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year,” Harry said. “I’ve been alone with him loads of times, having defense lessons against the Dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn’t he just finish me off then?”

“Don’t ask me to fathom the way a werewolf’s mind works,” hissed Snape. “Get out of the way, Potter.”

“YOU’RE PATHETIC!” Harry yelled. “JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON’T EVEN LISTEN —”

“SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!” Snape shrieked, looking madder than ever. “Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he’d killed you! You’d have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black — now get out of the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!”

Everything happened so quickly. One moment Snape was standing there furiously, and the next he was magically lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lucy, and George all had their wands pointed at where Snape stood.

“Well shit,” Maya gawked. “He’s not dead right?”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” said Black, looking at Harry. “You should have left him to me...” Then he looked at Maya. “And don’t walk right up to a pointed wand, unless you want to get yourself killed.”

Hermione was currently freaking out about attacking a teacher when Maya noticed Lupin struggling against his bonds.

She bent down to help him, and Sirius joined as well.

“Can’t believe you’re in Slytherin,” he muttered while untying the ropes, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“Yeah? And I can’t believe you’re not a real dog,” she snapped back, untying the last bond.

Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them.

“Thanks,” he nodded at Maya and Sirius then looked at Harry. “And thank you, Harry.”

“I’m still not saying I believe you,” he told Lupin.

“Then it’s time we offered you some proof,” said Lupin. “You, boy — give me Peter, please. Now.”

Ron clutched Scabbers closer to his chest.

“Come off it,” he said weakly. “Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean...” He looked up at Harry and Hermione for support, “Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat — there are millions of rats — how’s he supposed to know which one he is after if he was locked up in Azkaban?”

“Because your rat is a piece of shit,” said Maya. “He bit me one time.”

“Maya, go back to George,” Lupin told her, getting tired of her antics. Maya listened and walked back over to George and Lucy. “You know, Sirius, that’s a fair question,” he said next, turning to Black and frowning slightly. “How did you find out where he was?”

Black put one of his claw-like hands inside his robes and took out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat and held out to show the others.

It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there, on Ron’s shoulder, was Scabbers.

“How did you get this?” Lupin asked Black, thunderstruck.

“Fudge,” said Black.

“Whoa no need to drop the F-bomb,” Lucy joked without thinking, everyone stared at her. “Okay, sorry, I know you meant the Minister…poorly timed joke. Go on…”

Sirius stared at her for a moment then continued. “When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page on this boy’s shoulder... I knew him at once... how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts... to where Harry was...”

“My God,” said Lupin softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the paper and back again. “His front paw...”

“What about it?” said Ron defiantly

“He’s got a toe missing,” said Black.

“Of course,” Lupin breathed. “So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?”

“Just before he transformed,” said Black. “When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I’d betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself — and sped down into the sewer with the other rats...”

Maya, George, and Lupin shared a knowing look. That was exactly what they had seen in Maya’s vision.

“Didn’t you ever hear, Ron?” said Lupin. “The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger.”

“Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He’s been in my family for ages, right —”

“Twelve years, in fact,” said Lupin. “Didn’t you ever wonder why he was living so long?”

“We — we’ve been taking good care of him!” said Ron.

George snorted. “No, we haven’t! Fred and I test new spells and Zonko products on him all the time. Not to mention all the times you’ve forgotten to feed him.”

“And he’s not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?” said Lupin. “I’d guess he’s been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again...”

Ron defended that Scabbers had just been frightened of Hermione’s cat which is why Scabbers seemed ill. But Sirius had told everyone how smart Hermione’s cat truly is. The cat recognized Peter as an animagus right away and same when it first saw Sirius. Maya thought it was almost funny that Hermione managed to get a cat as smart as her.

Harry was still angry, though. He didn’t trust them and shouted that he should’ve let Snape take them both. Harry shouted once more about Sirius killing his parents until Sirius properly explained himself.

“Harry... I as good as killed them,” he croaked. “I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me... I’m to blame, I know it... The night they died, I’d arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he’d gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn’t feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents’ house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies... I realized what Peter must’ve done... what I’d done...”

His voice broke. He turned away.

“Enough of this,” said Lupin, and there was a steely note in his voice. “There’s one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat.”

“What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?” Ron asked Lupin tensely.

“Force him to show himself,” said Lupin. “If he really is a rat, it won’t hurt him.”

Ron hesitated. Then at long last, he held out Scabbers and Lupin took him. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head. “Ready, Sirius?” said Lupin.

Black had already retrieved Snape’s wand from the bed. He approached Lupin and the struggling rat, and his wet eyes suddenly seemed to be burning in his face.

“Together?” he said quietly.

“I think so”, said Lupin, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other. “On the count of three. One — two — THREE!”

A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly — Ron yelled — the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then —

It was like watching a speeded-up film of a growing tree. A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands. Crookshanks was spitting and snarling on the bed; the hair on his back was standing up.

He was a rather short looking man, still taller than Maya but not by much. In Maya’s visions, Peter was bit on the plump side, but now he looked as though he lost too much weight for too fast. His hair was thin and colorless, and he was balding a bit as well. Maybe it was because he had spent the last twelve years as a rat, but Maya could have sworn parts of his face resembled the looks of a rodent.

“Ew,” both her and Lucy commented when they took in the sight of him.

“Well, hello, Peter,” said Lupin pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him. “Long time, no see.”

“S—Sirius... R—Remus...” Even Pettigrew’s voice was squeaky. Again, his eyes darted toward the door. “My friends... my old friends...”

Black’s wand arm rose, but Lupin seized him around the wrist, gave him a warning look, then turned again to Pettigrew, his voice light and casual.

“We’ve been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed —”

“Remus,” gasped Pettigrew, as beads of sweat broke out over his pasty face, “you don’t believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Remus...”

“So we’ve heard,” said Lupin, more coldly. “I’d like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you’ll be so —”

“He’s come to try and kill me again!” Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Black. “He killed Lily and James and now he’s going to kill me too... You’ve got to help me, Remus...”

George whispered to Maya. “This is the guy that helped make the Marauders Map? It’s a bit of a letdown.” Maya chuckled quietly, agreeing with him.

Things got a bit hectic from there. Lupin had asked Peter questions and each time he lied. Lupin, Sirius, George, and Maya knew he was lying, but Harry and the others didn’t know what to believe. Maya wasn’t fully listening, she knew the truth anyways, so she stood leaning onto George while Harry took the story in.

Moving in between Snape and Sirius was starting to become a regretful choice as she leaned further into George. She moved too much and became more and more tired. The room was spinning again now that the adrenaline had started to wear off, but she listened in on the conversation once Sirius mentioned Maya. He had been telling everyone how he had escaped Azkaban.

“—I’ve been living in the forest ever since,” he said. “Maya and I ran into each other a few times and a few times a week she’d sneak out to bring me food.” Everyone looked at her as she awkwardly tried to stand up straight.

“Maya, you literally fed desserts to a convict,” Lucy pointed out.

“Yes, I’m aware of that thank you,” Maya said sarcastically. “I didn’t know who he was, I just saw a stray dog that looked hungry, and I couldn’t just leave him to starve. I may be a bitch at times but I’m not a _monster_.” She turned to look at Harry, but the motion was too quick and she started to get a migraine, she persisted though. “I didn’t know Sirius was the dog when we went to Hogsmeade, Harry. And believe me as soon as I did find out, I stopped feeding him…even though I suspected he was innocent I still stayed away.” By the time she finished she had to close her eyes to calm down her headache.

“It’s true,” Sirius continued, “the second she found out she ran off, and I don’t blame her for it. I’m sure it’s a bit shocking finding out the dog you’ve been feeding and playing with every day is actually an escaped prisoner.” He turned his attention back to Harry. “Other than the time I was with Maya; I’d be in the forest. I watched you play Quidditch, though. You fly as well as your father did, Harry…”

He looked at Harry, who did not look away.

“Believe me,” croaked Black. “Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them.”

And at long last, Harry believed him. Throat too tight to speak, he nodded.

“No!”

Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry’s nod had been his own death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clasped in front of him as though praying.

Maya was barely able to watch as Peter began to beg for everyone to spare him. The room was spinning at such a high speed and the smell of dried blood was beginning to make Maya nauseous. She was focusing rather hard on not throwing up when someone had grabbed at her robes, ripping her from George’s grip.

“You!” It was Peter. “You girl! I’ve seen you! What you can do!” His eyes were wild with fear, but there was something else in his expression that confused her, like he knew something about her that she didn’t. “There’s something inside you that will want to spare me! There’s a voice in your head telling you to help!” He held tightly on her robes and pleaded. “Help me!”

Angry. Nauseous. Exhausted. That’s what she felt as she ripped the rodent-like hands off her robes. “I would _never_ help someone as pathetic as you. The only voice in my head is telling me to let you rot in Hell.”

But he wouldn’t listen, he grabbed her legs and pleaded more. She couldn’t understand why he so desperately thought she would plead for him; she barely even knew him. As he grabbed her ankles, he shook a little too hard making her collapse and her migraine had increased by a thousand and she felt clouded with anger.

“Get the fuck off her!” she thought she heard George shout and the sound of a kick. Finally, Peter had let her go and moved to someone else. But Maya couldn’t get up, fighting off the anger made every bone in her body hurt.

“George her eyes!” Lucy hissed at him, sounding closer than Maya thought. “They’re black again!”

That was the last thing she heard.

-

“So hold on,” came Fred’s voice, disturbing Maya from her slumber. “You lot managed to get _inside_ the Shrieking Shack, met three out of the four marauders, one of them being our bloody rat, and Maya almost died… _again_ …. all while I was blowing things up with Lee?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” came Lucy’s voice.

“Oh, and dearest Ronald broke his leg,” added George.

Maya groaned. “Do you guys ever shut up?” She opened her eyes to find herself in the Hospital wing with her friends crowded around her bed.

“Maya!” Lucy shouted and was at her side immediately. “Are you alright? Are you feeling better? Do you want water?”

“I’m fine,” she answered. “I was just tired, honestly all I needed was a nap.”

George snorted. “Well, you got one. You’ve been out for the whole day.”

“What?!” she sputtered and sat up quickly. She thought quickly of the Shrieking Shack and instantly worried whether or not Sirius had been freed. “Sirius…is he…”

They all looked away from her gaze, not wanting to answer.

She failed. She spent so many months trying to help, and she failed him in the end. This only happened because she lost control of her anger which took the very last of her energy.

“It’s really not as bad as you think,” Lucy started, “it’s just…well Harry convinced Lupin and Black to spare Pettigrew…but…”

“It was a full moon last night,” George helped her finish. “Lupin didn’t take the potion and well…Pettigrew escaped.”

Maya ran a hand threw her hair stressfully. “So, the dementors got a hold of Sirius, then?”

“You lot suck at telling stories,” Fred said suddenly, “making it so depressing.” He smiled at Maya. “Granger and Harry helped him escape, he’s currently out doing Merlin knows what right now.”

“But he’s still technically wanted, so he’s hiding,” said Lucy. “I’m sure him and Buckbeak are doing well, though.”

“Buckbeak?”

“Yeah!” George chimed in. “Harry and Granger helped rescue Hagrid’s beloved Hippogriff as well!”

Maya smiled at that, at least Sirius wasn’t really alone.

“And Lupin?” she asked. “Is he alright?”

“I’ve had better days, but I’m alright,” a voice came from behind them. All four of their heads turned in the direction where it came from and were greeted by Lupin with a smile and a suitcase in his hand. “Just wanted to check in on you before I leave.”

Her stomach dropped. “You’re leaving?”

He walked over closer to them and frowned slightly. “I’m afraid it’s best to leave now before word gets out to parents that Dumbledore has hired a werewolf.”

“But that’s not fair! You haven’t done anything!” Maya argued.

“But I could have,” he told her, “but that’s not important right now. If it’s alright I’d like to speak with you and George alone.” He looked at Lucy and Fred who nodded politely and left. Lucy told her they’ll meet up in the kitchens once Pomfrey lets her out.

“I haven’t told her yet, Professor,” said George once the other two were gone. “I wasn’t sure if I should wait or not…”

“Told me what?” Maya asked nervously.

George and Lupin looked at each other, silently deciding who would explain first. It ended up being Lupin.

“Do you know what a Pensieve is?” Maya shook her head. “I figured as much. A Pensieve is a strange wizard invention that allows someone to view memories from a third person point of view.”

“So kind of like my visions?”

“Similar, yes,” Lupin nodded. “One must be willing to share a memory and extract it, then place it in the Pensieve for a viewer to see.”

“Okay?” Maya was a tad confused. “Why are you telling me this? Is there some memory you guys need? I’m gonna be honest I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday so—”

“Well, we would use your memory,” Lupin cut her off, chuckling at her rambling, “but you’re still a bit too young, so the ministry wouldn’t listen to you.”

“The ministry?” Maya asked, but then it dawned on her. “Oh…” she muttered. The three of them each shared a memory of Maya’s vision from Sirius and Pettigrew’s run-in in 1981. “So you can show them!” Maya urged. “You do it! Then Sirius won’t have to hide!”

Lupin shook his head sadly. “If this were yesterday, I could have. But after last night, word has gotten out about me being a werewolf, so the ministry and the majority of wizards wouldn’t trust my judgement. Especially because me and Black’s…friendship…is a well-known piece of information.”

Maya felt defeated. They couldn’t just give up like that!

“So what can we do?” she asked desperately.

George cleared his throat. “I turn seventeen next year in April. Sirius can hide safely till then, and either in April or next Summer, dad can find a spot for a trial and I can give them my memory.”

Maya looked at George shocked. He’d helped her so much the past year, but especially in the past twenty-four hours and he just kept going. He didn’t need to follow her to Lupin’s class yesterday, but he did. He didn’t need to comfort her while she shared a vision, but he did. And he didn’t need to stand up for her when Lupin wouldn’t let her go to the Shrieking Shack, and yet…he did. And now here he was, volunteering to help out Sirius who he’d only met a few times, mostly as a dog. And Maya couldn’t help but wonder…why?

Something shifted this year. Something about their friendship changed that felt unidentifiable. But whatever it was, Maya loved it.

“Thank you,” was all she could manage to say, but it was enough to get a big dopey smile from George that made her insides feel all warm.

Lupin looked at his watch and picked up his suitcase again. “I’ve got to get going soon, but I needed to let you know that you helped more than you can imagine, Maya,” he smiled at her then turned to George. “You as well, Weasley. Thank you both, and don’t be strangers. Write whenever you need anything.”

Maya got out of her hospital bed quickly without thinking and hugged her professor. He was a bit taken aback and raised his arms over her awkwardly as she wrapped her arms around him, but it was so characteristically like him that she didn’t mind. She laughed when he patted her head awkwardly and she released him.

“Sorry,” she said, but not really sorry. “Just seemed like the right thing to do.”

He grinned at her and gave her and George one last final wave before leaving.

-

_Dear Maya,_

_As unfortunate as I find it that you are in Slytherin, I would still like to thank you for helping me. Not only for bringing me delicious food that I haven’t had since I was a student at Hogwarts, but also keeping me company. Bollocks, this sounds ridiculous._

_Forget that part, I’d prefer if we kept the gushy emotions private, thank you._

_Anyways, ~~Re~~ Moony has informed me of all you’ve done with trying to help me. (I’d also like to thank you for pestering him all year long. I’m glad someone was able to while I was away) I heard about what your friend George is willing to do in order to help me, so please thank him for me as well. For now, Buckbeak and I will enjoy our time together as best friends (he’s really not that generous of a friend, he keeps stealing my food)._

_I hope you’re feeling better and enjoy the summer holidays._

_-Pumpkin_

_P.S. I still hate that ridiculous name. Please, from now on, for the sake of my dignity, call me Padfoot._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaannd year three is done! It'll probably take a few weeks for a new update because I need to write out my plans for year 4 before I start writing, but if you thought year 3 was a lot just wait till year 4.  
> There was less Draco content in this year after his and Maya's failed date, but this is the year where Maya starts doing some "changes" so get ready for that! Hope you enjoyed this scarily long chapter!  
> Follow my Tumblr for updates or if you wanna chat @miaafrances


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